Piercing Jeers and Fawning Praise, yet Nevertheless Extreme Heat for Xabi Alonso
NO GIFTS FOR XABI ALONSO
Heading into Wednesday night's clash against Manchester City, the position of Xabi Alonso in the dugout appeared as uncertain as a Spanish omelette being flipped. Just a handful of matches into his reign, the only unsightly blot on the 44-year-old’s copybook was an unacceptable 5-2 hammering at the hands of Atlético. But, from the beginning of last month, Los Blancos have managed just three victories in nine outings, with arguably their worst results coming in the form of draws against supposed Spanish league lesser teams, and ending with a humiliating home defeat to Celta Vigo.
In the Bigger Cup, the Spanish giants still look set to secure a crucial top eight spot despite their reverse at the hands of Pep Guardiola's side, a loss that was met with shrill whistles of disapproval by hard-to-please fans who had actually just seen injury-hit team play reasonably well.
"When you don’t win at home such a reaction is possible," admitted the coach regarding the response from the notoriously demanding crowd. "We persevered, we fought right to the final whistle and despite all the problems we have [with injuries] everyone left it all on the pitch. For this match I have nothing to criticise. The results in November and December has been poor, not up to our standards. We are analyzing ourselves, but must continue working and believing that things will improve."
Amid speculation the club's high-profile stars are not enamored with Alonso’s insistence on tactical drills, endure lengthy analysis sessions and attend evening classes on the economic history of the Galician fishing industry, there was no shortage of public backing for the beleaguered manager.
Upon scoring their opener, Rodrygo slapped hands with Alonso on the touchline, while both Thibaut Courtois and the midfielder offering supportive post-game comments to the media. "The manager’s been great," stated Bellingham, in an act of excessive flattery he might do well to replicate the next time he joins the national team. "I myself have a fantastic rapport with him, many of the guys do too. After the first run of games when we had some draws, we held great conversations within the group. In the last couple of games, we’ve just let ourselves down once more. Yet no one is downing tools, no one is grumbling or whining, believing our campaign is finished."
While it would be unusual for any British publication to distort what Bellingham says to suit some weird agenda, one might suggest that by saying many of his colleagues have a good relationship with Alonso, he was subtly hinting that quite a few others don’t. Vinícius Júnior has evidently had disagreements with the manager and the winger is widely reported to have told Madrid’s overlords he will not sign a new deal while Alonso is the coach. It makes you think how Vinícius made of Thursday morning’s Spanish press, which gave Alonso no blame for this defeat and instead placed responsibility squarely at Viní’s wasteful feet.
STATEMENT FROM THE NEWS
"Freedom of expression and the right to privacy are fundamental rights. No supporter gives up those freedoms just because they cross a border. This policy introduces an intimidating environment of surveillance that directly contradicts the welcoming, open spirit the tournament is meant to embody and it should be scrapped at once" – a supporters' group director, executive director of Football Supporters Europe, criticizes the Trump regime’s plan requiring fans heading to the USA for the World Cup to disclose information regarding their online disgrace accounts.
