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NO GIFTS FOR THE XAB

Going into Wednesday night's encounter against Manchester City, the position of Xabi Alonso as head coach appeared as up in the air like a tortilla being flipped. Only a handful of matches since his appointment, the only major stain on the 44-year-old’s copybook had been a shocking heavy defeat against Atlético. However, from the beginning of last month, Los Blancos have managed just three victories in nine outings, with arguably their worst performances coming in the form of stalemates against supposed La Liga lesser teams, culminating in Sunday’s humiliating home defeat to Celta Vigo.

In the Bigger Cup, the Spanish giants still look set to secure a crucial quarter-final place despite their reverse to Pep Guardiola's side, a loss which was greeted by shrill whistles from the crowd by demanding supporters who had actually just seen their knack-ravaged squad play reasonably well.

"If you fail to win in your own stadium that can happen," admitted Alonso regarding the response from the famously tough crowd. "We kept going, we fought right to the final whistle and with all the difficulties we have [with injuries] everyone left it all on the pitch. For this match I have nothing to criticise. Our form over the past two months has been poor, or what we wanted. We’re self-critical, but must continue working and have faith that things will improve."

Amid speculation Madrid’s high-profile stars are not enamored with Alonso's demands for tactical drills, endure lengthy video presentations and compulsory mandatory evening seminars about the economics of the Galician fishing industry, there was no shortage of public backing for the under-pressure boss.

After netting the first goal, Rodrygo high-fived Alonso by the sideline, with both Thibaut Courtois and Jude Bellingham provided supportive post-game comments in front of the TV cameras. "The manager’s been great," tooted Bellingham, in an act of excessive flattery he might do well to replicate the next time he joins the national team. "I’ve personally got a great relationship with him, many of the lads do as well. Following our initial spell when we had some draws, we had some great conversations internally. Recently, we have simply not been good enough once more. But no one is giving up, nobody is grumbling or whining, believing the season is over."

While it would be unheard of for any British publication to twist Bellingham's words to fit a narrative, it could be argued that by saying many of his colleagues get on with Alonso, he was subtly hinting that a significant number do not. Vinícius Júnior clearly hasn’t seen eye-to-eye with the manager and the winger is widely reported to have told the club's hierarchy he will not sign a new deal while Alonso is the coach. It makes you think how Vinícius made of Thursday morning’s Spanish press, that offered Alonso a free pass for the loss while laying the blame squarely at Viní’s wasteful feet.

STATEMENT OF THE DAY

"Free speech and the right to privacy are fundamental rights. No supporter surrenders those rights simply because they travel abroad. This policy introduces a chilling atmosphere of monitoring that directly contradicts the welcoming, open spirit the tournament is supposed to represent and it must be withdrawn immediately" – a supporters' group director, the head of a fan organization, criticizes the Trump regime’s plan that would require travelers heading to the USA for the GWC to provide details about their social media disgrace accounts.