Gareth Bale explains why Xabi Alonso failed at Real Madrid

Last week, Xabi Alonso brought to an end his disappointing seven-month spell as head coach of Real Madrid. After the Spanish Supercup defeat to Barcelona, he mutually agreed to terminate his contract with immediate effect, with Alvaro Arbeloa immediately installed as his replacement.

There had been high hopes for Alonso when he arrived last summer from Bayer Leverkusen, but in the end, it was not to be. The 44-year-old blamed player power as one of the reasons for his inability to effectively perform as manager, with a number of stars having reportedly expressed their unhappiness with his work.

Former Real Madrid player Gareth Bale believes that Alonso focused too much on tactics, and less so on personnel, during his tenure at the Bernabeu, as per TNT Sports (via Marca).

“He’s an incredible coach. He has won what he has won at Bayer Leverkusen, he has won trophies, he has coached the team incredibly well. But when you arrive at Real Madrid, you don’t need to be a coach, you need to be a manager. You need to manage egos in the locker room.

“You have to pamper egos. You don’t need to do so many tactical things. In the dressing room there are superstars who can change games in the blink of an eye. So, yes, you can tell that he is a great coach and tactician, but at Real Madrid, obviously, it didn’t work.”

Real Madrid spell will be a lesson for Alonso

There is no doubt that the Real Madrid job is among the most difficult in world football, and it is rather unique in that it is often more about managing players than tactics. Alonso will learn from this, and if he does, there could be scope for a Bernabeu return in the future.