The Spaniard’s tenure at the European giants went from bad to worse on Sunday night when his Madrid side were beaten 2-0 by Celta Vigo to leave them four points behind arch rivals Barcelona in LaLiga when they had been five points clear just a month ago.

The result, which saw a tunnel altercartion after two players were red-carded and Jude Bellingham left bloodied, comes after suggestions that there has been a divide between Alonso and some of his players, which include world-famous names such as Bellingham , Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr.

Spanish publication Marca report that Madrid officials met on Sunday night for crisis talks over recent events, with club president Florentino Perez said to have anchored a meeting that lasted until the early hours of the morning.

A number of topics were discussed, including the team’s alarming lack of form, a high number of injuries – with key defender Militao now set to be sidelined for a number of weeks – and a supposed poor standard of refereeing.

The report suggests that the outcome of the meeting was that Alonso, who has only been in charge of Madrid since the start of the season, has just a matter of days to save his job, which could depend on how Los Blancos get on against Manchester City in the Champions League this week.

Madrid will host Pep Guardiola’s side on Wednesday evening in Europe’s premier competition, which sees them fifth in the table with four wins and one defeat – which came against Liverpool – to their name so far.

In all competitions, Alonso’s side have just three wins in their last seven games, which is down on what the club were expecting from their former midfielder when he took over after leaving Bayer Leverkusen in the summer.

It’s also reported that Madrid are already looking at alternative options should they look to move on from Alonso. Club legend and former manager Zinedine Zidane has been touted for a potential return, but former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is the most eyebrow-raising suggestion.

Klopp quit Liverpool at the end of the 2023-24 season after nearly nine years, citing burnout and taking up a role at Red Bull as Head of Global Soccer.

He has seemingly ruled out ever returning to the dugout, but it’s unlikely that would unlikely put Madrid off from trying the German’s hand with an offer.

Zidane, meanwhile, won the Champions League in charge of Madrid on three consecutive occasions, but has not managed since leaving for a second time in 2021.

A poor rapport between Alonso and his players has been of high focus in recent times. The 44-year-old is believed to have a more hands-on approach than successful Madrid man-managers like Carlo Ancelotti and Zidane, with strict rules to weed out ‘bad habits’ and the assertion that players have to fight for their place in the first XI every time they train.

As per Mundo Deportivo, those have not taken to the arrival of Alonso in the Spanish capital include Vinicius Jr, Fede Valverde, Brahim Diaz, Rodrygo, Endrick, and Ferland Mendy.

Valverde has been frequently played out of position under the new manager, at times slotting into right back over the injured Dani Carvajal and Trent Alexander-Arnold as he returns to full fitness, while Diaz and Rodrygo have been played selectively and largely from the bench.

Brazilian teenager Endrick has failed to feature in all but one fixture this season, after struggling to make an impression on his new manager.

But Vinicius Jr remains Alonso’s most notable detractor, with the Brazil international letting his feelings be known as he was substituted during El Clasico last month.

The forward angrily shouted ‘I’m going to leave this team’ as he stormed off the pitch without acknowledging his manager, and he acted similarly when he offered a public apology but failing to name Alonso in the social media message.

Reports have also emerged that Vinicius Jr is not considering extending his current contract – which runs until the summer of 2027 – under current circumstances.