Real Madrid keep faith with Xabi Alonso for Alaves test amid form slump

Real Madrid have opted against sacking Xabi Alonso for now, with the coach set to lead the team into the upcoming clash against Alaves. The decision lands after a poor run that includes just two wins in the last eight matches, fueling debate around whether the squad or the coach bears more blame. Fans are split - some argue the players have fallen short in attitude, others want a big-name return. The board is choosing continuity, hoping a clear week of work and a focused response can steady the season and stop a slide that risks bigger problems.

The decision arrives in the wake of a difficult stretch of results across domestic and European fixtures, where performance levels and intensity have dipped. Internal discussions focused on short-term stability, with the Alaves match framed as a checkpoint rather than a point of no return. Club-focused media in Spain signaled that the hierarchy would back the coach into the next game, banking on a reset in attitude from the dressing room and a tactical refresh to halt the slide.

🚨 BREAKING: Xabi Alonso will NOT be sacked. He will be given the game vs. Alaves. @berger_pj

@MadridXtra

Impact Analysis

Sticking with Xabi Alonso changes the pressure point from the dugout to the dressing room. As someone who has lived through win-or-bust weeks, I can tell you players feel it when the club shields the coach. It sharpens accountability. When the message is clear - the manager stays - the group either responds or fractures. Right now the noise targets attitude as much as tactics, and that is fixable faster than a structural rebuild.

From a football perspective, Alaves pose a pragmatic test. They press in moments and are comfortable without the ball. Madrid need a cleaner first pass out of pressure and earlier movements between the lines. In recent games, the team’s spacing in build-up has stretched too wide, isolating the 9 and forcing wingers into low-percentage duels. Expect Alonso to tighten distances, ask the fullbacks to stagger their runs, and bring an extra runner from midfield to attack the box. Simple cues - earlier diagonals to invert the far winger, set-piece detail, and a higher counter-press trigger - can stabilize xG for and cut transition concessions.

Institutionally, avoiding a mid-season reset protects the club’s broader planning. Sacking cycles are expensive and rarely deliver instant dividends. Backing the coach now prevents panic and signals to potential summer targets that there is a project with continuity. Still, results must come fast - one win can turn the noise down, but a limp display will bring it roaring back.

Reaction

The fan split is stark and familiar. I’ve heard the same in every big dressing room under stress. A vocal section points at the squad first - they see a dip in intensity and focus, not a lack of ideas. They argue that the attitude on the pitch tells the story, and several want a clear-out before any talk of a new coach. Others are done with patience and want a dramatic reset, invoking names like Zidane or Mourinho as instant authority figures who could shock the group back into standards.

There’s also a thread of gallows humor - some believe the club will keep Alonso no matter what, while rivals are already enjoying the chaos and cheering Alaves on by proxy. Plenty of supporters, though, swing to measured optimism: give him the week, trust the work, and judge the response rather than the rumors. The common ground is simple - everyone agrees the results have not been good enough and that the next game carries more emotional weight than it should at this point of the season.

From my lens, this is classic big-club turbulence. Online debates amplify extremes, but inside a squad the actionable truth is calmer: run more, think faster, tighten lines, and back your match-winners. If the team shows that, the tone changes overnight.

Social reactions

He’s given a lifeline! What is this club! Anyways, we like this gimmick!!

Unfiltered Opinion (@unfilteredMMM)

Sacking xabi is the worst decision the club could make right now even if he finishes outside the ucl spot he shouldn’t be sacked we need to sell half the squad we need a full rebuild with xabi under full control of the transfers

irahsem (@irahsem1)

He won’t be sacked after that game either. Or after the game after that. This brother is here to stay. Some of these players on the other hand??..

@Kang (@Kang_RMCF)

Prediction

Two clear scenarios sit on the table. If Madrid deliver a front-foot, controlled performance against Alaves - early goal, smart game management, cleaner counter-press - the pressure valve loosens. The conversation pivots from sack talk to tweaks, and Alonso gets the runway to reassert principles over the next three to five fixtures. That opens the door to a results streak, especially if set-piece returns improve and the front line rediscover sharper timing on final-third combinations.

If the display is flat - sterile possession, loose transitions, set-piece lapses - the narrative shifts back to existential questions. In that case, the board’s calculation may become week-to-week, with contingency discussions about an interim. A draw with poor underlying metrics could be as damaging as a defeat because it confirms stagnation rather than bad luck.

My football gut says there is a bounce to be had. When players are challenged publicly about attitude, pride kicks in. Expect a tightened shape, more aggressive triggers, and a simplified chance-creation map that targets early cutbacks instead of over-dribbling on the flanks. One pragmatic win can reset the season’s rhythm. Longer term, the club will still need to confront squad balance in the summer - athletic profiles in midfield, a rotation 9, and defensive depth - regardless of what happens this week.

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Conclusion

I’ve been in squads where the club backed the manager in a storm. The message is usually the same - the staff will prepare the plan, and the players must show their level. Madrid choosing continuity now is not a free pass, it is a demand. The Alaves match becomes a measurement of focus and clarity more than talent, because the talent is there.

If the response is convincing, this week reads as a pivot point, not a crisis. If not, the conversation returns to names, nostalgia, and short-term fixes that rarely age well. Either way, the club is right to buy a few days for football decisions to breathe. Strip it back to basics - intensity without the ball, two or three rehearsed patterns to generate shots in the box, and leaders setting the tempo. Do that, and the noise fades. Don’t, and it gets louder than ever. The ball is with the dressing room now, and that is exactly where it should be.