Football manager, Xabi Alonso, reportedly accused his players of behaving like they were in a ‘nursery’ in one training session at Real Madrid, sparking his downfall.
The manager is said to have ‘exploded’ at his stars in early November, with the relationship already at ‘breaking point’ two months before he was sacked.
Alonso was relieved of his duties on Monday, just seven months after joining amid rumours of a dressing room rift.
Spanish newspaper MARCA claim that Alonso had already ‘begun to leave’ Madrid in November at the time of his rant.
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.