11 Dec 2025 06:18:52
Hindsight is a wonderful thing but do wonder if Alonso thinks he should’ve been our next coach after Klopp instead of that poisonous toxic club that is Real Madrid but now I get the feeling he may be damaged goods. Think if he gets the sack from Real he needs a break to reevaluate. Like to know ed001 thoughts.
{Ed078's Note - I think Xabi is strong enough to move on if needed, without any "damage". Ed001 may well have more informed opinions.
11 Dec 2025 07:27:20
If Alonso had no connection to Liverpool, there’s no way fans would be excited at taking him as a Manager. A manager who has failed in 15 games at Real Madrid and couldn’t control the dressing room.
I thought we had issues in the dressing room. If he doesn’t have the personality to deal with their players and can’t win games he should with their team why does everyone think he could do it at Liverpool.
11 Dec 2025 07:33:04
On the other hand it might be a welcome relief. Who knows how he's feeling, what the club's are planning and how things will turn out.
I think he did the right think staying in Germany an extra year.
11 Dec 2025 07:57:01
Because Liverpool don't have the poisonous dressing room culture and sense of entitlement of Real Madrid. Ancelotti himself said that he didn't try to do much coaching at Real Madrid, he had a very hands-off approach. Xabi is trying to coach the team, and it's a long term project that will alienate some players used to having certain privileges and other players, often unexpected, coming to the fore and shining. Guler and Carreras have been superb under him, and he looks to be bringing Gonzalo Garcia through the ranks slowly.
Every time Perez has been convinced to hire a 'project' manager who will coach the team and drill a certain philosophy into them, they abort the project halfway through once players start to kick up a fuss and results don't go their way. It's going that way again, which is par for the course for Madrid, I don't think it's a stain on Xabi's resume necessarily though, it took quite a bit of courage for him to take the job knowing what was at stake.
11 Dec 2025 08:13:51
It sounds like the players have turned on him or are making life difficult, he has tried to instill professionalism and structure and the players do like it. From what I understand or have read is that player were allowed to go on holidays during the first half of the season under previous managers and Alonso has put a stop to that.
Players have been going over his head to Perez and that has made things extremely difficult, basically undermining him.
I don't judge any manager that fails at real madrid as it isn't run like any other team in the world.
11 Dec 2025 08:16:56
Also, like PB says, Ancelotti said there wasnt much coaching happening. He had said that they would work on tactics in the week and then the players wouldn't bother to use them in the game.
11 Dec 2025 08:27:01
I’m not sold on Alonso but how has he failed in 15 games at Madrid? That’s just daft.
11 Dec 2025 08:48:28
Exactly, PB. That RM dressing room has destroyed the reputation of many a top manager so saying that Xabi "failed" to control such a toxic dressing room hence, to say he is suddenly a poor manager is just ludicrous stuff. If that DR has destroyed other top managers then, what chance does a project manager like Alonso have esp. when trying to instill discipline and professionalism into the team? Yeah, none at all.
If people don't want Xabi here then, that's fine but using the extreme situations that like that of RM whose DR ate Ancelotti up and spat him out TWICE despite winning lots of pots with them btw, is not a valid argument to make. There are other arguments BUT this ain't one of them, IMO.
Oh and should he come to us (not sure he will), he has a certain Florian Wirtz to work with which can only be good for both parties and the team, IMO.
11 Dec 2025 08:49:43
Didn't he win 13 out of the first 14 games or something? Reading what's coming out of Spain, it seems it's more to do with the players not getting on board with his ideas as he is trying to increase fitness, running etc and sounds like they can't be bothered!
11 Dec 2025 09:12:36
Real are 4 pts off Barcelona and currently sitting in 2nd place.
I’d hardly call that failing in your first 15 games.
11 Dec 2025 09:55:45
Real Madrid - Last 15 games, won 8, lost 3, drawn 4 - failed.
What do you call a star player coming out and attacking the manager and club then which we’ve all seen v some rumours of dressing room unrest no one actually knows about in Madrid.
Some people on here just have a vendetta against Slot. The guy who took us higher than Utd in main trophies.
I honestly thought this site was the best discussion site over last few years but now post Ed02 it resembles other social media sites with lots of BS from people ITK all contradicting each other and people taking that as gospel if it feeds their view and jumping on bandwagons. The actual discussion has gone.
11 Dec 2025 10:24:53
His side are second in La Liga, four points adrift of Barca, and the 15-time winners are in the Champions League top-eight on goal difference.
Alonso would bring the cohesion, intensity and trianing regieme that we need and which is required for the prem. He gets the league.
PB's points are spot on.
11 Dec 2025 11:45:56
I thought PaddyB was being ironic saying we don’t have a poisonous dressing room culture and sense of entitlement.
We’re not on the scale of RM, but the dressing room seems pretty poisonous at the moment, our fans are turning on a title winning manager after 14 games and ask Newcastle if we’re seen as entitled.
11 Dec 2025 12:13:17
Rojack how does Alonso get the Premier League and stuie we won our first 6 games this season. People can look for differences in Slots and Alonso's situation all they want but the reality is there are none. And this is from a Xabi Alonso fan.
11 Dec 2025 12:48:00
More wins than losses now means a manager has failed? Yeah, got it.
11 Dec 2025 13:28:03
Nice one Oli as you really don’t get much.
11 Dec 2025 13:38:24
Slot also has more wins than losses. Just saying.
11 Dec 2025 15:54:26
Just to clarify my opinion and in part, a return of serve to WM73; I have zero vendetta v AS. None whatsoever. I just don't believe he's the correct person in charge of first team affairs anymore. To come from the position of champions to where we are now just cannot be acceptable to anyone, or perhaps it can.
But it isn't for me. There may be many mitigating factors for this but ultimately it's his can to carry and he should have the nous to preempt and contain or control the issues at hand. He doesn't have it. Any manager capable of managing Liverpool NEEDS to have it. Or else the results are plain to see for one and all.