In Video: Under-pressure boss Xabi Alonso facing make-or-break game against Man City

Champions League Showdown: Can Alonzo Save His Skin or Will Manchester City Prove Too Tough to Beat?

Right, Chabi Alonso is gearing up for a huge game in the Champions League as Real Madrid prepare to face Manchester City tomorrow with reports that the result could make or break his time as head coach.

Alonzo’s Pre-Match Press Conference: Confidence and Stress

I’ve been here on a number of occasions to watch Champions League matches, to cover Champions League matches, and to cover the kings of Europe in Real Madrid. I’ve never known a situation around a manager quite like this. The suggestion is that a loss in that game off the back of this torrid run that’s seen them win just two of their last seven in all competitions, one of their last five in La Liga, including defeat at the weekend by Seltoviggo at home in front of a jeering whistling crowd at the Bernabeu. That could be enough to ultimately seal the fate of Jabi Alonzo.

At his pre-match press conference, Alonzo was clearly keen to stress that he still has the backing of the squad and emphasized the importance of adapting to the culture of Real Madrid, which is notoriously difficult to change. He also spoke about the prospect of facing Pep Guardiola, a man who is not exactly popular in the city given his Barcelona connections.

A Win Would Boost Alonzo’s Popularity, But It’s Not the Only Factor

The next one is the best one. So, you need to face it and not just myself. I think that the players and the fans everyone knows because they have faced against City so many times for the last years, we are what we are expecting. For sure, it’s a big challenge, but I see it as an opportunity at the moment. It’s not about changing; it’s about adapting because we knew pretty well the culture of Real Madrid, that’s why it’s the biggest club in the And you need to adapt it. You need to learn from it. And then there is the process. You need to have this interaction with the players, how we want to perform. Some days are good. Some days are not that good. But from every game we take a step and now we are in this position right now. We have to face it with good energy with positivity. That’s the only way to turn it back and to have a better feeling.

Manchester City’s Perspective: A Huge Game for Pep and His Team

Look, it’s a huge game for them in the context of their Champions League group phase because of that result last time out. It was interesting to hear Eddie [Howard] 15-20 minutes ago on the program talking about preparing his team to face Ber Leus and the team that came to Manchester faced a City team where Pep made 10 changes and beat them, and City ultimately went from being very secure in the top eight to just outside of it and added extra pressure on their final three matches in the league phase. Starting with possibly the biggest test against the team that Pep tonight will again call the kings of this competition.

It’s a team that he knows really, really well. Let’s not forget, not just from his rivalry when he was at Barcelona, but in recent years in Manchester City, I’ve almost lost count the number of times I’ve been stood here previewing a Champions League match here. I think this is the fifth consecutive season these two teams have met in one way or another. We’ve seen dramatic last-gasp wins for Real Madrid and heartbreak for City. And conversely, we’ve also seen City play Madrid off the park and dish out the kind of performance and lesson to them that they are used to inflicting upon other sides back in 2023 when City absolutely thrashed them as they were on route to the treble and lifting the trophy for the first time.

For City, they come here, I think, full of belief they can get a result. Pep certainly has felt as though his team have started to turn a corner. He’s seen enough in their performances in recent weeks to think they can trouble Real Madrid, which is in stark contrast to the team that traveled here last year in that playoff round when they took on Real Madrid and ultimately came away from here with a 3-1 loss that actually was quite flattering to Manchester City on that occasion. So, look, they come here with more optimism. I think the ferore surrounding Jabi Alonzo can play one of two ways. It’ll either help them in the sense that this is a team in Real Madrid that are short on confidence. It may be something that galvanizes them. I think it’ll be really interesting to hear what Pep says about that, whether he can indeed fend off all of the questions around Jabi Alonzo because I’m pretty certain that when we sit down with him at around 5:45 your time, plenty of the Spanish contingent here in Madrid will like to get his thoughts on the situation surrounding his opposite number in the dugout.

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