Guardiola’s City Stun Real Madrid as Pressure Mounts on Xabi Alonso After Another Costly Defeat
The hostile whistles aimed at former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola before kick-off were replaced by jubilant away-fan celebrations as Manchester City secured a superb Champions League win at Real Madrid — a result that leaves Xabi Alonso’s position under heavy scrutiny.
Real Madrid supporters made sure Guardiola’s Barça past was not forgotten, and the irony was impossible to miss: a former rival may have delivered the blow that pushes Alonso closer to the exit.
Although reports suggested Alonso could be dismissed with a defeat, BBC Sport understands his job is not under immediate threat — but another loss, especially at Alavés on Sunday, may finally force the club’s hand.
At full-time of Real’s 2–1 defeat, the stadium speakers blared music at maximum volume, seemingly to mask any boos directed at Alonso. By then, many fans had already streamed out, and once the noise dipped, chants of “We’ve got Guardiola!” rang loudly from the 2,500 travelling City fans — a stinging sound for Madridistas.
When asked post-match whether he had spoken to club president Florentino Pérez, Alonso simply replied: “I came straight here.” The club’s hierarchy had already spent Sunday night deliberating his future after the loss to Celta Vigo, and another emergency meeting now seems almost inevitable.
Real began brightly, taking the lead through Rodrygo’s driven finish, looking as though they might have steadied the ship. But two late first-half goals — Nico O’Reilly’s close-range finish and an Erling Haaland penalty — flipped the match, silencing even the normally relentless ultras behind the goal.
Tension rose midway through the second half as home fans whistled in frustration, urging the players to raise their intensity. While Real did create chances late on, it may not be enough to save Alonso. Supporters appear to believe the players, not the manager, are responsible — with many feeling Alonso’s ideas aren’t being followed on the pitch.
Alonso arrived in the summer after leaving Bayer Leverkusen and started brilliantly, winning 13 of his first 14 games. But the season began to fall apart after a defeat to Liverpool on 4 November. Real have managed only two wins in eight matches since, and reports suggest a cultural clash between Alonso’s strict demands and a squad more inclined towards a high-pressing approach.
Pressed on whether his squad were still playing for him, Alonso insisted:
“The performance was intense. They gave their best — no complaints from me. It’s hard to take another defeat, but we fought until the end.”
Jude Bellingham echoed that sentiment, telling TNT Sport the players are “100% behind” their manager:
“No one is giving up. No one’s throwing in the towel. We know we’ve let ourselves down lately.”
Still, Alonso now feels as though he’s surviving from one match to the next. Real sit second in La Liga, four points behind Barcelona, and hold a top-eight Champions League place only on goal difference. Remarkably, since winning the trophy two years ago, they’ve lost five group-stage matches.
Marca journalist Juan Castro summed up the mood on BBC Radio 5 Live:
“I’m very pessimistic. It wasn’t a disastrous performance, but another home defeat, another loss in a row — it’s very hard for a coach to withstand this. The Bernabéu atmosphere is turning on Alonso. I’m 100% pessimistic.”
He added that while sacking Alonso is easy to discuss, finding a suitable replacement in December is far more complicated for Pérez.