If Real Madrid president Florentino Perez thought that firing Xabi Alonso and hiring Alvaro Arbeloa as coach would quickly fix the problems at the Bernabeu, he was mistaken.
Defeat at home to Getafe means Arbeloa has now lost four of his first 12 games in charge — and there could be another change of coach soon if the team’s situation does not improve.
Arbeloa was promoted from Madrid’s Castilla reserve team in early January after Perez decided Alonso’s detailed tactical instructions and approach were not working in a dressing room full of galacticos who preferred a less demanding boss.
Results since then have been mixed. Arbeloa’s side have beaten Villarreal 2-0 and Real Sociedad 4-1 in La Liga, but there was a humiliating Copa del Rey exit to second-tier Albacete in the Copa del Rey and an embarrassing 4-2 defeat to Benfica in the Champions League that dragged them into the play-offs (where they then beat the Portuguese side over two legs).
Back-to-back league defeats to Osasuna and Getafe have left Arbeloa’s team four points behind Barcelona in the title race. Should Madrid lose at Celta Vigo on Friday, it will be the first time they have lost three consecutive games in La Liga since October 2018 — a run that led to Julen Lopetegui being sacked after just four months in charge.
Despite having no experience coaching a senior side, Arbeloa, a former Madrid defender, was appointed because he was a loyal club man who could be relied upon to follow the decision-makers.
Madrid have not disclosed how long Arbeloa is under contract as first-team coach, although sources close to the former Liverpool and Spain full-back (who, like all those cited in this article, have asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships) have told The Athletic he has a deal until June 2027.
But given how things have gone — the issues with performances and various players already being unhappy, as much as the poor results — it already seems the club will be looking for another head coach sooner rather than later.
Just how soon that happens is difficult to predict. Perez has a history of making snap managerial changes mid-season and there is an unhappy mood among fans and around the club.
Should the Madrid hierarchy decide Arbeloa has to go — either before, during or after the upcoming Champions League round-of-16 tie with Manchester City that starts with the first leg at the Bernabeu next Wednesday — then the only plausible internal candidate to take interim charge for the rest of the campaign looks to be Santiago Solari.
The former Madrid and Argentina midfielder did a similar firefighting job when taking over from Lopetegui midway through the 2018-19 season. The club hierarchy gave Solari the green light to drop underperforming, big-name players when he was appointed — but within four months, he was also sacked after a 4-1 Champions League round-of-16 defeat to Ajax at the Bernabeu.
Santiago Solari during his spell in charge of Real Madrid (Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
Solari, 49, is now back at Madrid in an undefined supervisory role behind the scenes, and would be available to step up again — although he was overlooked when Perez chose Arbeloa to replace Alonso just six weeks ago.
Zinedine Zidane has twice stepped in unexpectedly mid-season and quickly overseen an upturn in the team’s fortunes, but a third such spell seems very unlikely. The former star midfielder is widely expected to become France’s national coach after this summer’s World Cup. Zidane’s relationship with Perez was also not idyllic when he left the club most recently, in 2021.
There is a lack of obvious frontrunners to take the job, leading to plenty of speculation over who Madrid could turn to — although it seems unthinkable a big-name outsider would step into such a difficult situation at this stage of the season.
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has clearly stated he prefers to stay in his current role as Red Bull’s head of global soccer. Ex-Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino is taking the United States to a home World Cup, although he could be an option after the tournament. Unai Emery has guided Aston Villa to the fringes of the Premier League title race, but the Spaniard could find the challenge of the Bernabeu tempting.
Jose Mourinho might have been an option to return to the club where he experienced a turbulent spell from 2010-2013 had the last few months panned out differently. But the Benfica coach’s behaviour during the three recent Champions League games against Madrid — and especially his comments suggesting Vinicius Junior had incited his alleged racist abuse with his goal celebration in the play-off first leg — would surely rule him out.
Jose Mourinho was sent off in the first leg of Benfica and Real Madrid’s Champions League play-off (Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images)
Some out-of-work members of the wider Madrid orbit are available — such as their legendary former striker and ex-Castilla coach Raul and former midfielder Michel — but neither is thought to be close to Perez.
The club president, who turns 79 on Sunday, remains an all-powerful figure at the Bernabeu. Perez’s approach to hiring and firing coaches during his two terms in charge has often been intensely personal — and sometimes seemingly whimsical.
“Florentino has always seen himself as Madrid’s sporting director; he never really values the coach,” a source close to one previous senior staff member told The Athletic.
Sacking Arbeloa now would also reflect badly on Perez. Many match-going Madrid fans felt Alonso should have received more support from the dressing room and the boardroom during his short time in charge. Many of the players who were deemed to bristle at his methods were whistled by supporters, who felt Alonso had been unfairly treated.
But Perez has also found himself in a delicate situation. Chants for the president to resign could be heard at the stadium during Monday’s defeat to Getafe, although they were not as loud as the widespread calls of “Florentino, resign” during January’s 2-0 win against Levante in La Liga.
The president has proposed that Madrid allow external investment in the club. Throughout its 124-year history, Real Madrid has been owned by its members or socios. But that controversial change is on hold, according to sources familiar with the situation, as the club hierarchy only want to hold the referendum on the subject when the team’s situation has improved.
Florentino Perez shakes Xabi Alonso’s hand after the Supercopa de Espana final loss against Barcelona (Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Any potential new Madrid manager is likely to look closely at a squad who struggled last season under Carlo Ancelotti, failed to gel under Alonso and have not impressed collectively during Arbeloa’s brief time in charge.
The same squad issues that Ancelotti felt were holding the team back remain — including a lack of reliable defenders, no clear midfield playmaker and stars in attack who have to be kept happy. There is also the club’s worrying injury record, with Rodrygo this week becoming the latest in a long line of players to suffer anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.
There is no guarantee significant money will be available for new talent in the summer, while Perez always has a bigger say in transfer policy than whoever is the coach.
It all begs the question: who would take the Madrid job in these circumstances?
The counter-argument is that things can quickly turn at the Bernabeu. Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham are supremely talented players. And the glamour and potential of the record 15-time Champions League/European Cup winners can be difficult for any ambitious and self-confident manager to turn down.
For now, the job is Arbeloa’s. Next up is Friday’s trip to sixth-placed Celta, who won 2-0 against Alonso’s Madrid at the Bernabeu in December. Madrid will be without the suspended Franco Mastantuono (red card against Getafe), along with Alvaro Carreras and Dean Huijsen (both have picked up five yellow cards this season), for that visit to Galicia.
Then comes the Champions League round-of-16 first leg against City, who also won 2-1 against Alonso’s Madrid in the competition’s league phase in December. That brings with it the added focus of any of ex-Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola’s visits to the Bernabeu.
Being Real Madrid manager is one of the toughest jobs in world sport — last month, The Athletic’s readers voted it the third-most difficult across all team sports.
Arbeloa has quickly found that out, as did Ancelotti and Alonso before him. Whoever comes next will be acutely aware of the challenge they are taking on.
