Real Madrid sacked Xabi Alonso earlier this season, but Iker Casillas insists he would be the ideal manager for the Spanish giants, who are also in turmoil.
Xabi Alonso was shown the door by Real Madrid earlier this season (Image: Getty Images)
Real Madrid great Iker Casillas has insisted on appointing Xabi Alonso as the club’s next manager, just eight months into his role.
Alonso was hired in the summer after a hugely successful spell at Bayer Leverkusen, but only stayed at the Bernabéu for half a season before a change of ranks was decided. Los Blancos have endured another horror campaign and will almost certainly finish without a trophy.
The former Spain midfielder, who played for Real for five years, was long linked with a possible return to the dugout, but that didn’t last long. His exit was announced amid rumors of a split in the changing room.
Los Blancos continue to endure internal problems, with Federico Valverde and Aurelien Choameny recently fined more than £800,000 for an alleged physical altercation.
Álvaro Arbeloa has been in charge since Alonso’s departure, but with him also expected to retire, the club are looking for a new manager, and Casillas has already expressed his desire for Alonso to return.
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“I would bring back Xabi Alonso, he was the ideal manager for Real Madrid,” he said. The former goalkeeper continued: “When you make a decision, things don’t always go well. You also have to analyze the situation. For example, when was the decision taken to sack Rafa Benitez and how everything developed after that? In football, it is the day-to-day results that ultimately define things.”
Alonso won 24 of his 34 games at Real, but was booed by his team during the latter half of his reign. Following the defeat against Celta Vigo, an emergency meeting of club executives was held to discuss Alonso’s future. It is well documented that the tactics Alonso wanted to employ were at odds with some players.
Iker Casillas believes Real need to look to former manager
The BBC reported that Alonso had an argument over tactics with star striker Kylian Mbappé before Sunday’s Copa del Rey final defeat to Barcelona. He also had a disagreement with President Florentino Perez shortly before the decision to part ways later that day.
Jose Mourinho, who spent three years at the club from 2010 to 2013, is among the top candidates to be Real’s manager next season. Mourinho has clashed with Casillas, with the World Cup winner refusing to entertain talk of a return to the Special One.
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