Barely arrived, already disputed. The new Real Madrid coach faces a media outing of rare violence, coming from a player he knows well.
The state of grace will not have lasted long. Arrived this summer on the Real Madrid bench to replace the legend Carlo Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso was expected as the Messiah. But after only a few weeks, the beautiful mechanics already seems to be seized. Ego management, tactical work.. The challenges are immense. And now a first fire broke out, coming from where he did not wait. A player decided to break the omerta and deliver an overwhelming testimony to the methods of the Basque technician.
Xabi Alonso already targeted … by one of his former players
This front charge does not come from a Real Madrid player, but from his former club, Bayer Leverkusen. It was the midfielder Jonas Hofmann who emptied his bag in the columns of Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. And the portrait he draws from Xabi Alonso is the antipodes of the smooth and brain image that we know. “He should not flow more than two weeks without a trainer to exchange a few words with his players,” he said, visibly bitter. “If I had known that I would stay, I would have asked to be released. »»
The main reproach? A total lack of communication. Hofmann depicts a distant, almost silent coach. “I expect from a coach that he clearly tells me if something is wrong. I want open and direct communication. A acerbic criticism that highlights an unknown facet of Alonso, that of a manager who, despite his success, could find it difficult to manage the human aspect of his function.
Xabi Alonso, a tactical genius … But a silent manager?
A warning for the Madrid locker room
This outing is not trivial. It sounds like a direct warning sent to the Real Madrid five -star locker room. If a player like Hofmann, accustomed to the jousts of the Bundesliga, suffered from this silent management, what about Mbappé, Vinícius and other Bellingham? We know the song in these clubs: the egos are oversized and the need for consideration is permanent. Lack of dialogue is often the first fuel for crises.
Xabi Alonso is therefore warned. His tactical intelligence, rented by all, will not be enough in Madrid. He will have to learn to communicate, to manage moods, to speak to his men. This attack from his past is perhaps the best service that Jonas Hofmann could render him. Because it highlights what will undoubtedly be its greatest challenge: not only being a genius tactician, but also a manager capable of bringing a group to life. The real test begins now.
