'I didn’t know I was coming to coach a nursery!' - Xabi Alonso scolded Real Madrid players in 'cry of desperation' due to tactical struggles in training

While the official end of Alonso’s reign at Madrid came this week following a Spanish Super Cup defeat, reports emerging from Spain suggest the manager had emotionally checked out months prior. According to Marca, the "divorce" between the former Bayer Leverkusen boss and the star-studded Los Blancos dressing room already appeared evident in early November, hidden behind the walls of the Valdebebas training complex.

The tension, which had been simmering due to a clash of styles and personalities, eventually reached a boiling point during a routine session. It was here that Alonso, usually the picture of cool composure on the touchline, snapped. Faced with a squad that he felt was ignoring his instructions and lacking the required intensity, he delivered the withering line: "I didn’t know I was coming to coach a nursery!"

This was not, as sources indicate, a standard motivational tactic or a heat-of-the-moment outburst designed to spark a reaction. Instead, it is described as a "cry of desperation," born of exhaustion and boredom. Alonso had grown tired of the perceived immaturity of his players, who responded with whispering, bad attitudes and a reluctance to embrace the high demands of his coaching philosophy.

At the heart of the conflict was a fundamental disagreement over how the team should prepare. Alonso, renowned for his meticulous tactical setups, arrived in Madrid determined to implement a complex, high-pressing system similar to the one that won him the Bundesliga unbeaten. However, the Real Madrid squad, accustomed to a more fluid and less rigid style under Carlo Ancelotti, rejected his methods.

The players reportedly found Alonso’s training sessions "excessively burdensome." There were widespread complaints within the dressing room regarding the "excessive volume of information" being thrown at them daily. The squad felt suffocated by the level of detail and the constant corrections, which they viewed as unnecessary micromanagement.

This resentment extended to Alonso’s coaching staff, particularly his assistant Sebas Parrilla. The excessive zeal shown by Alonso and Parrilla in drilling tactical instructions and correcting every minor error alienated the players further. The squad grew uncomfortable with having so many voices barking orders and scrutinising every movement, leading to a toxic daily atmosphere where the joy of training was replaced by friction and fatigue.

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From Alonso’s perspective, the intensity was a necessity, not a choice. The manager felt he was fighting a losing battle against the calendar. Following the Club World Cup, the squad returned with almost no pre-season, leaving Alonso with zero margin to instill his footballing identity before the competitive action began.

He believed there were significant structural issues to fix and that the team was far from the level required to compete for major honours. Consequently, he tried to accelerate the learning process, utilising every minute of every session to drill new concepts into the side. However, this urgency clashed with a squad that was not ready to be schooled.

The disconnect was total: Alonso was unhappy with the players' application, and the players were unhappy with Alonso’s intensity. They were not walking the same path, and as the daily grind became more difficult, the relationship disintegrated. The manager felt he was dealing with "spoiled" behaviours—hence the nursery jibe—while the players felt they were being treated like robots rather than elite athletes.

Adding fuel to the fire was the growing presence of Alvaro Arbeloa. Long before Alonso was officially dismissed, the name of the Real Madrid Castilla coach began to circulate within the first-team dressing room as a potential solution.

Arbeloa had become a frequent observer at first-team training sessions, a standard practice for the B-team coach, but one that took on new significance as the mood soured. Whether the club was subtly testing the waters or the players simply noted his presence and preferred his potential leadership, a "rumbling" began. The squad started to view Arbeloa - a former teammate to many club legends and a figure deeply embedded in the club's culture - as the antidote to Alonso’s rigid regime.

By the time the results crisis hit, the foundation had already rotted away. Although the players reportedly made a pact to try and salvage the situation when results turned sour, the emotional bond with Alonso was broken beyond repair.