Xabi Alonso has only been at Real Madrid for a few months, but the Spaniard has had to deal with talk of a divided dressing room, something he is happy to deal with.
Xabi Alonso has rejected the idea that Real Madrid’s dressing room is divided, instead speaking of their unity “in good times and in bad times”.
The Spaniard only took over in the summer, taking charge of a club that won the Champions League. He arrived on the back of his success at Bayer Leverkusen, but there are rumors that not all Real players support his approach.
Real have gone three games without a win, and talk of anxiety has reached the media. This situation came to an end in midweek when Los Blancos defeated Olympiakos 4-3 in Greece. Real have achieved great results in La Liga as they aim to regain the title.
Alonso has had to deal with rumors of a clash with Vinicius Junior, which stems from the Brazilian’s anger at being dropped. It is believed that some celebrities have concerns, but officials have not confirmed this.
“I always feel like the team is united and we all know the goal, which is to get to the end (of the season) with a chance to win everything. We’re together through good times and bad times. We keep good connections on a daily basis. Despite all the rumors and what some people say, we’re very solid internally,” he said.
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Jude Bellingham is also believed to be a supporter of the new manager and his methods. Alonso is understood to be more tactically demanding than his replacement, Carlo Ancelotti. Kylian Mbappé came out in midweek and said it was the players’ responsibility to “protect” Alonso.
Throughout November, the Spanish giants lost to Liverpool at Anfield in Europe and also played against Rayo Vallecano and Elche, closing the gap at the top of the table. Alonso admits there are still areas he wants to improve on, but admits they are still figuring out where they stand.
“We’ve had some good moments. We need that dominance, that control, that continuity, that consistency. We’re improving, especially defensively. We’re not happy with some things, especially the goals we conceded in the last few games. We’re still developing.”
After Barcelona take the lead on Saturday, Real head to Girona on Sunday night. Alonso confirmed that centre-backs Antonio Rudiger and Eder Militao will return to the squad for this contest. Last season, the Spanish giants relinquished the La Liga title and the European title tag.
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