Xabi Alonso is sacked by Real Madrid

Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has been sacked less than 24 hours after losing the Spanish Supercup final to Barcelona.

The 44-year-old had come under increasing pressure in recent weeks amid rumours of a rift with his players and the defeat in El Clasico has proven to be the final straw.

Madrid announced that Alonso, who made 236 appearances for Los Blancos as a player, has left the club this evening 'by mutual agreement'.

Alvaro Arbeloa, who played with Alonso during their days together at Liverpool, has been appointed as his permanent successor. The 42-year-old has been working with Madrid's academy since 2020 and has been in charge of Castilla, the club's B-team, since last summer.

A statement read: 'Real Madrid CF announces that, by mutual agreement between the club and Xabi Alonso, it has been decided to end his time as first-team coach

'Xabi Alonso will always have the affection and admiration of all Madrid fans because he is a Real Madrid legend and has always represented the values ​​of our club. Real Madrid will always be his home.

'Our club thanks Xabi Alonso and his entire technical team for their work and dedication during this time, and wishes them the best of luck in this new stage of their lives.'

The Spaniard leaves the Estadio Bernabeu with Madrid four points adrift of bitter rivals Barcelona, who triumphed in the Supercup on Sunday night thanks to a brace from Raphinha and a classy finish from Robert Lewandowski.

Gonzalo Garcia and Vinicius Jr, who's been at the centre of a reported rift with Alonso for much of this season, scored the Los Blancos goals but it wasn't enough, despite Barca midfielder Frenkie de Jong being sent off late on.

Alonso shared a brief embrace with Florentino Perez after the final whistle as the defeated Madrid stars picked up their runners-up medal, though the ruthless Los Blancos chief pulled the plug on the former Bayer Leverkusen boss just hours later.

Arbeloa, a former World Cup winner with Spain who played for both Madrid and Liverpool as a player, has been appointed as the club's new first-team coach. His first game in the dugout will be against Levante at the Bernabeu on Saturday.

'Real Madrid CF announces that Alvaro Arbeloa is the new first team coach,' an announcement, released just minutes after news of Alonso's sacking broke, read. 

Alonso joined the Spanish giants just eight months ago after a hugely successful spell in charge of Bayer Leverkusen, leading the club to their first ever Bundesliga title in 2023-24. 

His reign in Los Blancos started promisingly, with Alonso winning 13 of his first 14 domestic games in charge barring a heavy defeat to Atletico Madrid in the derby.

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However a Champions League loss to Liverpool in early Novemeber proved to be a turning point, with the former Reds midfielder's side then going on a dismal run of just two wins in eight games which heaped pressure onto Alonso. 

Rumours of division at the club's Ciudad training complex also didn't help the club legend, with Spanish papers reporting that up to five players were thought to have been unhappy with his methods. 

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It was understood that Thibaut Courtois, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr all had concerns about Alonso's methods and tactics. 

Vincius in particular appeared less than pleased under the Alonso regime and, after being substituted in El Clasico back in December, was far from shy in venting his frustrations. 

The Brazilian later issued a public apology to his 'team-mates, the club and its president', though it failed to dispel speculation that the Madrid manager had lost the dressing room. 

Fede Valverde, the club's captain, was too rumoured to have doubted Alonso's methods and even had to debunk rumours that he refused to play for Madrid during a Champions League game against Kairat Almaty in October. 

It came after Alonso deployed the Uruguayan as a full-back in the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dani Carvajal, with the Uruguayan defiantly claiming 'I wasn't born to play right-back' in a press conference later that month. 

Alonso did however bring about an admittedly brief change in fortunes over the festive period, with Los Blancos winning some five games in a row. 

However the upturn in form was evidently not sufficient enough to convince the hierarchy at the Bernabeu to stick with Alonso, who will no-doubt be linked with a return to the Premier League in the coming months.