“Real Madrid are already planning an Xabi Alonso replacement…” After the Barcelona Fc Defeat, THREE TOP MANAGERS are reportedly on the shortlist

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The details presented in this piece are based on numerous discussions with different sources within Madrid, all of whom requested anonymity to preserve their professional relationships.

What’s generating the most discussion at Real Madrid at the moment?

The loss in the Supercopa de Espana final to Barcelona, naturally.

This marked Real Madrid’s fifth defeat in their last six meetings with their arch-rivals and represented the third consecutive occasion they’ve suffered defeat in a final against Barcelona.

Following Sunday’s 3-2 loss, opinion within the club is split between two distinct perspectives — ranging from those who minimize the significance of what transpired to those who take a more critical stance.

The initial camp, which comprises influential members from the board, maintains it was a closely contested final that could have swung either way. They emphasize the injury crisis that Xabi Alonso faced heading into the match, with both first-choice right-backs (Dani Carvajal and Trent Alexander-Arnold) unavailable, along with their two regular centre-backs (Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger), while star attacker Kylian Mbappe was only fit enough to enter the match in the 76th minute due to a knee problem.

The opposing camp contends that recent progress has been insufficient under Alonso’s guidance, and that the trajectory of his debut season is concerning.

So what’s the current situation regarding Alonso?

The possibility of removing Alonso from his position hasn’t been genuinely discussed following his team’s loss in yesterday’s match where the season’s opening silverware was at stake.

The Athletic revealed in December that Madrid’s board intended to retain Alonso, who was hired in May, for as long as the results permitted. From the leadership’s perspective, preventing a crushing, one-sided loss to Barcelona was sufficient grounds for the former Madrid, Liverpool and Spain midfielder to remain in his role.

This stance has generated some astonishment and dissatisfaction among those with close connections to the squad, who are displeased with the team’s public image and their on-field showings.

“Has the bar for Real Madrid now been lowered to simply avoiding a hammering?” one source with ties to the players questioned when speaking to The Athletic.

There are also individuals working behind the scenes who hold conflicting views about where accountability should lie for Madrid’s performances throughout this campaign. They suggest that replacing the head coach midway through the season wouldn’t provide the answer.

Alonso’s coaching team highlights that the players’ commitment has strengthened, along with the implementation of certain tactical concepts the manager has introduced. They also reference unfortunate circumstances from last night’s match, such as two clear scoring opportunities late in the contest that Alvaro Carreras and Raul Asencio couldn’t capitalize on, and Raphinha’s fortunate winning goal that came after he lost his footing.

They maintain that welcoming back crucial players from the injury list will aid in continuing the evolution of Alonso’s desired playing philosophy at Madrid.