The pressure on Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has reached an absolute breaking point. According to a bombshell report from Spanish publication Marca, the club has made a definitive decision: Alonso will be FIRED if Los Blancos lose Wednesday’s crucial UEFA Champions League clash against Manchester City. The high-stakes match at the Santiago Bernabéu has officially become an ultimatum for the manager just seven months into his tenure.
The crisis meeting that sealed Alonso’s immediate fate reportedly took place late Sunday night, extending into the morning after Real Madrid’s shocking 2-0 home loss to Celta Vigo. The poor result saw the club fall four points behind La Liga rivals Barcelona and extended a run of only two wins in their last seven competitive matches. Marca cites mounting pressure over poor form and growing tension between Alonso and sections of the dressing room as key issues.
The Champions League fixture against Pep Guardiola’s side is now viewed internally as a last-chance test, demanding the team show a decisive reaction on the pitch. The feeling among senior club figures, according to the report, is that a failure to secure a positive result against a major European rival would be unforgivable given the squad’s talent and the club’s lofty standards.
Should the managerial change be implemented, reports suggest the club has already discussed potential successors. Zinedine Zidane is named as the preferred and most likely immediate replacement, while former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp is also mentioned as a complicated alternative to take over the reins and salvage Real Madrid’s season.
