Real Madrid News
Liverpool initiate contacts with recently-fired Real Madrid manager
Real Madrid fired Xabi Alonso immediately in the aftermath of the Supercopa de Espana defeat to Barcelona, handing over the reins to Alvaro Arbeloa.
While it is true that the team did not show great signs under the previous coach, the fact of the matter also remains that his idea of implementing a system at Real Madrid was always destined to fail.
His tenure, after all, proved that the players are not the type to listen to detailed tactical instructions and made it clear that Los Blancos are, and will always be, a team driven by individual brilliance.
What’s next for Alonso
Taking into account the entire situation for Alonso, it is clear that the Real Madrid legend was not a poor manager but just the wrong man for the job at the Valdebebas. His managerial future, however, may well go on to be special.
As reported by Diario AS, Alonso has already been approached by Liverpool as a potential candidate to take over at Anfield.
The manager knows that he will be received well at the Merseyside club which was also his home for close to half a decade. Moreover, he knows that his chance of succeeding at the club is higher there than it was at Real Madrid.
At the moment, the tactician is taking a break but he is eager to get back onto the sidelines. He has thus responded positively to Liverpool who intended to clarify if they could count on him as a candidate for the near future or the 2026-27 season.
Arne Slot is currently the manager of Liverpool, and while he may well finish the season in his position, there are serious doubts as to whether he will continue. After all, the team has performed nowhere close to what they should have for the money spent.
Real Madrid will be looking to pick up their fifth win of the 2026/27 La Liga season when they take on Elche CF at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero later tonight.
With 12 points from five games, Los Blancos are currently second in the league table, three points below leaders FC Barcelona.
As such, the Spanish capital club will be eager to get the win and close the gap to the top.
Guler starts, Bellingham rested
Ahead of kickoff, Real Madrid have announced the starting lineup that will take the field against Elche, with Jose Mourinho making some important changes.
For starters, Arda Guler is back in the lineup after appearing as a substitute in the win over Rayo Vallecano.
Interestingly, however, he starts in the attacking midfield role, with Mourinho opting to rest Jude Bellingham, who has started all of Real Madrid’s games so far.
That also means that Yan Diomande retains his place in the team, starting for a second time in a row on the right wing. Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. continue in their respective positions in attack.
Another notable change sees Aurelien Tchouameni make his first start of the season after recovering from injury and making two appearances off the bench.
He replaces Bernardo Silva as Federico Valverde’s partner in the middle of the park.
Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Marc Cucurella come in as full-backs, while Ibrahima Konate and Dean Huijsen slot in at centre-back in front of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
📋✅ ¡Nuestro XI inicial!
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) September 15, 2026
🆚 @ElcheCF
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