Álvaro Benito: Xabi Alonso will regret not sticking to his guns at Madrid
Former Real Madrid player Álvaro Benito believes Xabi Alonso should have imposed his ideas more firmly during his tenure at the Bernabéu.
Former Real Madrid star claims Xabi Alonso’s downfall came from not being assertive enough with his football philosophy at the Bernabéu.
Following the official announcement of Xabi Alonso’s departure from Real Madrid, several former players have weighed in on what went wrong for the Basque tactician. Among them, Álvaro Benito and Guti offered particularly interesting perspectives on the situation.
”Die by your own sword”
Álvaro Benito, speaking on Movistar’s ‘El Día Después’, suggested Alonso’s biggest mistake was not standing firm enough with his football philosophy:
“What you need to do is die with your ideas and impose them above anyone else,” Benito argued, suggesting that managers get sacked regardless, so they might as well go down fighting for their principles.
The former Madrid midfielder believes Xabi will look back with regret at not being more assertive with his vision, even if it meant stepping on some important toes at the club.
Dressing room disconnect
Meanwhile, Guti pointed to potential issues between Alonso and the squad as the likely catalyst for his exit. Speaking on DAZN, he suggested:
- When a dressing room isn’t happy with the manager, it becomes obvious both in training and matches
- Alonso’s results weren’t actually poor - comparable to Flick at Barcelona over the same number of games
- There were persistent rumours that Xabi didn’t quite fit with the squad dynamics
Arbeloa: The unknown quantity
Guti also addressed the appointment of Álvaro Arbeloa as Alonso’s replacement, drawing parallels with Zinedine Zidane’s promotion from Castilla during another period of uncertainty.
He believes the club must have faith in Arbeloa’s abilities after watching his work in the youth setup, though acknowledges it’s a proper gamble, much like when Zizou first took the reins.
The swift transition from Alonso to Arbeloa represents another chapter in Madrid’s managerial merry-go-round, with the club once again backing a former player to understand the unique pressures of the Santiago Bernabéu hot seat.