Real Madrid: Jamie Carragher says Vinicius helped trigger Xabi Alonso’s departure

Xabi Alonso’s spell on the Real Madrid bench did not deliver the success hoped for. He left the club after a shortened stint and has since rebounded in the Premier League, where he now coaches Chelsea. On Monday Night Football, Jamie Carragher offered a particularly critical reading of the situation at Madrid. In his view, the defensive work rate of certain stars, especially Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappé, complicated the coach’s job.

The pundit believes the two forwards, despite their status, do not put in enough pressing effort for Real to meet the standards of Europe’s best teams. Carragher then went further by directly discussing Alonso’s departure. In his eyes, Real Madrid chose Vinicius over its coach once tensions emerged.

For his part, Alonso had admitted that he drew lessons from the experience, while also acknowledging that some aspects of his management had not worked as planned. Now settled at Chelsea, the former Spanish midfielder is trying to turn the page on Madrid and relaunch his career on the London bench.