‘I didn’t know I was coming to coach at a nursery’ – Xabi Alonso’s extraordinary rant at Real Madrid stars revealed

In one Real Madrid training session, football manager Xabi Alonso allegedly accused his players of acting like they were in a “nursery,” which led to his collapse. Two months prior to his dismissal, the manager allegedly “exploded” at his stars in early November, and the relationship was already at “breaking point.” Rumors of a rift in the dressing room led to Alonso’s dismissal on Monday, just seven months after he joined. According to the Spanish publication MARCA, at the time of his outburst in November, Alonso had already “begun to leave” Madrid. The outburst came as a ‘cry of desperation, of weariness, and almost of boredom’ as he grew ‘annoyed’ at how players were not meeting his tactical demands. The outburst came as a ‘cry of desperation, of weariness, and almost of boredom’ as he grew ‘annoyed’ at how players were not meeting his tactical demands. Alonso was unable to impose the aggressive pressing system that had defined his Bayer Leverkusen team.   Moreover, MARCA reports that a ‘buzz’ around Alvaro Arbeloa began to circulate in the dressing room long before he was appointed as Alonso’s successor.   Arbeloa was the manager of Madrid’s B team and a frequent presence in senior training sessions. Alonso was sacked just seven months into his tenure and fewer than 24 hours after losing 3-2 to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.   The 44-year-old had come under increasing pressure due to rumours of a rift with some players, and a reported misalignment with the board over tactics.