Pitch Points: Xabi Alonso’s future; can Wrexham dream of Premier League? | Football
What’s next for Xabi Alonso after leaving Real Madrid?
As damaging as Sunday’s Spanish Super Cup defeat to Barcelona was to Xabi Alonso’s credibility as Real Madrid coach, the scenes following the match ultimately finished him off. The sight of Kylian Mbappé pushing past Alonso, insisting that his teammates leave the pitch while the coach asked in vain for them to give Barça a guard of honor, summed up an untenable situation.
Less than 24 hours later, Alonso was gone. Just seven months ago, the 44-year-old was widely regarded as the best young coach of his generation. He had his pick of Europe’s biggest clubs after sensationally leading Bayer Leverkusen to the Bundesliga title. However, none of the things that worked for Alonso in Germany worked for him at the Santiago Bernabéu.
The extent to which Alonso is blamed for this will be evident in the sequel. Will Europe’s biggest clubs, many of whom were rejected by Alonso a year ago, come to believe that the former midfielder has no chance of surviving in the vipers’ nest of Real Madrid? Could Liverpool, for example, pretend the last seven months never happened and replace Arne Slot with the man many thought was destined to succeed Jürgen Klopp?
Considering that Alonso was so careful to wait for the perfect opportunity before taking up his position at Leverkusen, rejecting other job offers as he bided his time, it was still surprising that he thought Real Madrid was the right next step. However, he could get a makeover. Real Madrid never wanted a ‘process’ coach, but someone else could do it.
Was Wrexham’s win against Premier League opposition a sign of things to come?
Ryan Reynolds had never witnessed such a big event as co-owner of Wrexham, not least because he missed the Welsh side’s third goal in a historic FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest. Nature calls to us all, even Deadpool. The Premier League could also claim Wrexham.
Maybe not this season. While Phil Parkinson’s side are in good form, winning their last five matches in a row in all competitions, Wrexham still find themselves outside the Championship playoff places. After three successive promotions, this season could be one of consolidation in the second division. It would still be a success.
Friday’s win over Forest may have hinted at Wrexham’s final destination. There is still a long way to go before Wrexham are good enough to compete regularly at Premier League level. Transfermarkt values the Wrexham team at €56 million and Nottingham Forest at €602 million. This gap could, however, be bridged.
This explains why Rob McElhenney and Reynolds have opened Racecourse Ground’s door to outside investment, recently selling a stake in Wrexham to US investor Apollo. The Allyn family, based in New York, have also invested in the Welsh club. Although the victory against Nottingham Forest was Wrexham’s first victory against a Premier League opponent in this time, they have been preparing to compete at this level for some time.
What can Thomas Frank do to avoid the inevitable?
Full-time booing is now as much a part of the matchday experience at Tottenham Hotspur as buying a pint at the on-site craft brewery. So much so that apathy is beginning to blunt the vitriol regularly directed at Thomas Frank and his players. The boos after Tottenham’s latest defeat to Aston Villa were timid.
It’s understandable that Spurs fans are at their wit’s end. After finishing 17th last season, the north London club are slipping further and further down the Premier League table, winning just two of their last 12 matches. Frank’s points per game ratio (1.32) is even lower than Ange Postecoglou’s (1.52).
Saturday’s home defeat to Villa closed the door to an FA Cup appearance, with Spurs also eliminated from the Carabao Cup. Frank’s side are well placed to reach the next round of the Champions League, but few expect them to top the competition. The things that kept Postecoglou in office until the end of last season fade away for his replacement.
Frank can’t be blamed for everything. Spurs were in disarray before his arrival. Daniel Levy was forced to step down as chairman in September due to the way the club was being run inside the boardroom. Frank cannot answer for the transfer strategy or lack of ambition, but he is increasingly seen as a symptom of these problems. How much longer can he delay the inevitable?
