The Athletic: “The real reason for Real’s star feud with Alonso”

Vinicius’ clash with Xabi Alonso in the big Barcelona derby was just one indication of what’s going on at Real Madrid. A strange climate that has been created in the team, with its new coach and its big stars as protagonists.

The valid subscription website The Athletic details what has happened, revealing that what we saw on Sunday is just the… tip of the iceberg, which hides a big feud between the Spanish coach and the stars of the team.

This controversy is related with the cosmogenic changes that Xabi Alonso has imposed from the first moment he took over the team – changes that continue today, and which the players find difficult to accept.

Features include:

“When Xabi Alonso arrived at Real Madrid as manager in June, he saw things and habits in the dressing room that he could not believe were suitable for a football club. They were established after the four years of Carlo Ancelotti’s tenure. Sources close to Alonso spoke of “many bad habits” that had been established. One of his first clear messages to the players was that everyone should work harder – in training, but also during the game. Especially when the opponent has the ball. He emphasized that no one is guaranteed a place in the 11″

“Many sources on the other side add that the players were furious when, analyzing the new way of playing, they realized that the liberties they had on the pitch were now limited. They felt that this way they will not be able to express and prove their abilities. They made a big comparison of Alonso’s demanding plan with what they were used to under Ancelotti. ”Some of them had won too much without doing anything Alonso asked. When it became known to them what the new coach wanted, they expressed strong complaints.”said one of the sources of the author of the publication.

Another person close to a key Real player commented that there was a transition from a coach who was rarely involved in training to one who brought logic… a soldier. The opinions of the Real players were that Alonso is a closed, aloof man – another big change from Carlo Ancelotti, their adored… friend.

Xabi Alonso has changed a lot even before the team’s games. It is said that before his first matches at Real, he would announce the XI about two hours before kick-off. In the game against Al Ahli, for the Club World Cup, he entrusted as a test to the players and the staff that he found in the club the XI and the shots.

All this was soon leaked to the Spanish press, with Alonso furious but finding from the test that there were talkative people in the team. Since then, Alonso makes his choices known just before the matches.

In fact, it is alleged that members of the coaching staff who have been with the team for years argued that these tactics will not work and will not have results in a team with such a special logic as Real. All this has created a strange situation in the dressing room, with the players not on the best of terms with Alonso – however, so far, the results have been favorable for the team’s new manager.

When Xabi Alonso arrived as Real Madrid manager in June, he found a dressing room accustomed to things that he did not believe were best for a football team, following four years under Carlo Ancelotti. Sources close to Alonso’s staff said “many bad habits” had taken hold.

One of… pic.twitter.com/M2UxYEdOzJ

— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) October 29, 2025