How dressing-room rifts and rotten results left Xabi Alonso and Real Madrid on the cusp of a crisis

The actual picture of Madrid's season doesn't look too bad. Through 14 league games, they have won 10, drawn three and lost just one. They sit in second place, on 33 points, four behind Barcelona with their game in hand to come on Wednesday against Athletic Club. At their current pace, they will accrue 90 points, which should be enough to run Barca right down to the wire. Madrid have also played a slightly tougher schedule, and did win the first Clasico of the season in late October. 

In the Champions League, things are looking rosy. Madrid have won four of five, dispatching Marseille, Juventus, Kairat Almaty and Olympiacos, while their only loss came at the hands of a much-improved Liverpool, who decided to break their torrid spell by turning in a one-off memorable performance against the Spanish giants in early November. An automatic spot in the last 16 is therefore within their grasp.

There are plenty of positives to take from how certain individuals have performed, too. Kylian Mbappe has accepted his role as a central striker and run with it, with his tally of 23 goals in just 19 games challenging the best goal-scorers in Europe. Elsewhere, new signings Alvaro Carreras has offered much-needed stability at left-back, Arda Guler has shown the kind of creative chops his early-career flashes promised and Jude Bellingham has been rounding into form after missing the first two months of the season while he recovered from shoulder surgery.

Bellingham is not the only big name to have missed time due to fitness problems. His England team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold is the presumptive right-back of the future in Madrid, but he has started just six games since the Club World Cup, thanks in part to a hamstring injury suffered on the opening night of Champions League that sidelined him for six weeks. His main competition, Dani Carvajal, picked up a knee injury soon after, and will be out until at least January, which has led to Fede Valverde again being deployed in defence.

Vinicius Jr, meanwhile, was steadily worked into the side in the opening weeks of the season as Alonso looked to protect his legs, and his campaign has been more about off-field noise than his goal contributions (or lack thereof). Centre-backs Toni Rudiger, David Alaba and Dean Huijsen have also missed time.

Still, Madrid should have enough talent to be the dominant force in Spain and Europe. And yet it is that concentration of Galacticos which is proving to be Alonso's biggest headache.

The ex-Bayer Leverkusen coach has, according to The Athletic, had his methods questioned by senior players within the squad and that messages are not getting through regarding his tactical plan for each game. A meeting was reportedly held between Alonso and his players in a bid to smooth out their differences ahead of the 4-3 win over Olympiacos, but Sunday's draw in Catalunya - described by one source to The Athletic has being "a disaster" - suggests that it has not ironed out all the kinks.

It likely doesn't help Alonso that there are high-profile players within his squad who are barely seeing the field. Both Rodrygo and Endrick were linked with moves away from the Bernabeu this summer, yet Alonso insisted that both would be crucial to the project. That, however, hasn't been the case. 

Rodrygo, in the midst of a 30-match goal drought, has continued to have been starved of opportunities, and has played just 442 minutes. Endrick has featured even less, with just 11 minutes to his name, and is set to finally leave on loan in January, likely to Lyon.

But of course, the biggest problem for Alonso is Vinicius. The Brazil winger is a wonderful footballer, charismatic and expressive with the ball, and equally vocal when he doesn't have it. He is also one of the more complex characters in this sport, so often the victim of abuse based on his reputation - a lot of it to do with the colour of his skin - yet, by all indications, a truly humble footballer. It is known, too, that Florentino Perez is a big fan of Vinicius'. 

That is perhaps why he has felt emboldened to challenge his managers at times. During the end of Carlo Ancelotti's reign, Vinicius took an apathetic approach towards running without the ball, and thus far under Alonso, he hasn't always adhered to the manager's tactical demands. He has subsequently completed 90 minutes just seven times, and is often Alonso's first substitute when he needs to change his forward line.  

Vinicius provided the lasting image of the Clasico, too, when he shouted at Alonso in frustration after he was removed from the game midway through the second half. He later apologised to the club and his team-mates, but left Alonso's name out of his social media post. The pair's relationship is said to be the driving force behind Vinicius' unwillingness to discuss a new contract, despite his current deal being set to expire in the summer of 2027.

Alonso is yet to fix Madrid's most glaring problem on the field, either. Last season, they conceded the same goal time-and-time again; they failed to press from the front, allowing opponents to get the ball to their defensive midfielder, who would then spark a counter-attack. It was a simple formula, rinsed and repeated on a weekly basis. 

And that same goal has recurred regularly this season. Madrid are laughably easy to hit on the break, and the way they concede goals in transition over and over is quite remarkable. It's how Girona hit them on Sunday, while Elche did it twice the week before, and Olympiacos too despite suffering defeat. If not for the excellence of Thibaut Courtois in goal, Madrid would comfortably concede three or four every week. 

But for all of the bad vibes, concerning signals and reasons to worry, this is no time to sack a manager. Alonso comes with an excellent pedigree and has proven himself a terrific tactician during his time at Leverkusen. In the pressure cooker that is Real Madrid, coaches need time to figure things out, and Alonso needs to be given that time. From what the manager is saying publicly, he isn't feeling the pressure of the sack, as he revealed that he had held favourable talks with Perez following the Girona draw.

"I have spoken to him again and the conversations are very positive, with a very good tone," Alonso said. "That's what we've talked about, turning the results around.

"We know where we are in the season, there's a long way to go. It's all very close and there are a lot of points still up for grabs, so a lot can happen."

Of course, there will always be a breaking point, and if things don't improve before the winter break, then Alonso will really begin to feel the heat. But removing a manager this early, with a squad this young and this promising, would be an immense misstep. Madrid require some uncharacteristic patience.