Xabi Alonso’s fate at Real Madrid could be decided when the final whistle sounds on Wednesday evening against Manchester City.
After a near-perfect start to 2025–26, Alonso and Los Blancos have imploded. The Spanish giants have won just two of their last seven matches across all competitions, surrendered first place in La Liga to Barcelona and currently find themselves with only four healthy defenders.
Just three days after an embarassing 2–0 defeat to Celta Vigo, Real Madrid must now welcome Man City to the Bernabéu. The two clubs have shared a wealth of memorable Champions League battles in recent years, but Alonso’s first involvement on the touchline could also be his last.
The 15-time European champions reportedly had a crisis meeting at the weekend and labeled the marquee Champions League clash the deadline for Alonso to save his job, a feat he can only do so if he makes a few critical decisions come Wednesday night.
Who Replaces Kylian Mbappé?
On the eve of the biggest game of Alonso’s short tenure at Real Madrid, his superstar forward Kylian Mbappé missed training. The Frenchman is reportedly nursing a knee injury he picked up against Celta Vigo and is a doubt to play against Man City.
Should Mbappé indeed miss out on the all-important Champions League clash, or at least not be fit enough to start, Alonso must decide who replaces the team’s leading goalscorer.
The task is not as simple as deploying a back-up in Mbappé’s place; Alonso must now switch up his formation as well. The manager will likely abandon the 4-4-2 and revert to a 4-2-3-1, leaving Gonzalo García as the obvious choice to lead the line.
The FIFA Club World Cup star has only started one game this season, but he is the best option for a Real Madrid attack crying out for a natural No. 9 in the box. García’s addition will also give Vinicius Junior more freedom on the left without having to share space with Mbappé.
Alonso Must Make Fede Valverde Unhappy
It is no secret Federico Valverde dislikes playing at right back. The Uruguayan said as much earlier in the season, asserting that he “earned his place” in the midfield after years playing alongside Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić.
Yet Valverde keeps finding himself deployed in defense amid continued injury crises for Los Blancos. Alonso tried finding different solutions at the back to keep Valverde in his natural position; most recently, the former Bayer Leverkusen boss started Raúl Asencio on the right flank against Celta Vigo.
Except now that Éder Militão suffered a torn hamstring and joined Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen, Dani Carvajal, Ferland Mendy and David Alaba in the infirmary, the time for experimenting is over. Valverde is the best—and frankly the only—option to lock down Man City winger Jérémy Doku.
The natural midfielder has the pace to match up well with the Belgian and also boasts the experience of going up against the likes of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Luis Díaz, Antoine Griezmann and Omar Marmoush.
Where Does Arda Güler Start?
Arda Güler is a perplexing case for Alonso. The 20-year-old had a brilliant start to 2025–26, filling in for the injured Jude Bellingham as the team’s No. 10, where he looked at home pulling the strings of Real Madrid’s attack.
Then, Bellingham returned and Güler has struggled to adapt. The Türkiye international has started alongside the England international, in a deeper midfield role and on the right wing, yet he has looked uncomfortable in all three.
In fact, Güler has just one assist in his last seven appearances, and it came when Bellingham was largely rested against Olympiacos. The 2025 Golden Boy runner-up also was benched against Athletic Club, and Los Blancos put together their best performance in weeks.
With Valverde needed at right back and Eduardo Camavinga likely out injured, Alonso does not have the option of overlooking Güler, which would have been the obvious choice for Wednesday’s clash. Now, though, the manager must make the crucial decision of whether he wants the promising talent on the right wing or playing alongside Aurélien Tchouaméni.
It might not be the perfect solution, but Real Madrid have a better chance at finding success in the final third with Güler on the wing. Sticking him in the midfield where he has been careless on the ball all so perhaps Brahim Díaz, Rodrygo or even Franco Mastantuono can start up top would do the team—and Alonso—no favors.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Three Decisions Xabi Alonso Must Make vs. Man City to Keep Real Madrid Job.