Real Madrid News
Why Xabi Alonso lost the board’s trust after Real Madrid’s derby win
At first glance, it appears that Real Madrid’s defeat to Barcelona in the final of the Spanish Super Cup was the final nail in the coffin for Xabi Alonso.
He was sacked almost immediately after the game, leaving many shocked with the abrupt decision. After all, his team had just won a massive derby clash against Atletico Madrid in the semifinal and all signs pointed to that result winning him back the board’s favour.
Now, however, MARCA bring to light that it was, in fact, the Atletico Madrid game that saw Florentino Perez and Co. lose faith in Alonso.
A poor gameplan
Indeed, the Real Madrid president and board were very dissatisfied with the way in which Alonso set up his team to take on Atletico Madrid in the semifinal of the Spanish Super Cup.
On the night, Real Madrid defended deep and rode on the momentum generated by Federico Valverde’s early free-kick stunner. They had less than 50% possession, had less than half the number of shots as the opponent, and won just one corner all night.
The club’s higher-ups interpreted the situation to be Alonso’s lack of capabilities that led him to organise such a game plan. His decision to abandon the idea of building organised attacks disappointed them.
Further, Alonso set up the team to rely on Thibaut Courtois’ long-balls to Jude Bellingham and Gonzalo Garcia.
On the night, the Belgian sent over 40 long balls, and the Real Madrid players could only capitalise on a small fraction of them against Los Rojiblancos’ defenders. That, in turn, gave Atletico Madrid the chance to control the match.
That, coupled with the repeated strategy of defending deep against Barcelona, may well have cost the club legend his job as the first-team manager.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. admits finishing problem after another frustrating night vs Elche: ‘Can’t miss that much’
Vinicius Jr.’s difficult start in front of goal continued against Elche, and the Real Madrid forward did not need anyone to tell him he had missed another chance to make the difference.
The Brazilian finished the night without a goal despite having chances to get on the scoresheet, while his teammates could only watch from the bench as opportunities went begging.
Jose Mourinho had already identified the problem before kick-off, bluntly pointing to the issue facing his forward, stating, “He’s missing the goal.”
Vini offered an equally frank assessment afterwards.
Rather than hide from another frustrating evening, he accepted responsibility on social media: “The goals will come back; I can’t miss that much…”
Two chances, no finish for Vinicius
Vinicius had two particularly clear openings against Elche, but neither produced the finish Real Madrid needed from their star forward.
The first arrived when he found himself one-on-one with the opposition goalkeeper.
Instead of finding the net, Vinicius caught the ball with the tip of his foot and sent his effort wide. Arda Guler was available during the move and called for the ball, but Vini backed himself to finish the chance.
He had another opportunity after the interval, this time following an excellent pass from Guler during a quick Real Madrid transition. Again, though, Vinicius could not find the target.
His evening ended in the 68th minute, with Mourinho deciding the Brazilian was tired and turning his attention towards Sunday’s Atletico Madrid derby.
Mourinho has a bigger decision to make
The numbers show why Vinicius’ finishing has become a talking point. He managed five shots against Elche, but only one was on target and none found the net.
After seven appearances this season, the Brazilian has scored just once, which is a striking return for a player Real Madrid rely upon to provide a major share of their attacking threat.
Ultimately, though, Real Madrid found another route to victory, with Arda Guler, Kylian Mbappe and Carlos Espi providing the goals in the 3-2 comeback.
