AS: A time for decisions to be made at Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid

Real Madrid wrapped up a dull and disappointing competitive year against Sevilla, with whistles and jeers from the stands bidding farewell to 2025. The match against the Andalusian side was a faithful reflection of the past two months: poor play and all kinds of scares along the way.

The year ends for Los Blancos without a single trophy to add to the record books - an especially painful reality for the entire Madridista fanbase. The holiday break brings two weeks without competition, offering enough time to analyze everything in detail and make whatever decisions the club deems necessary… or leave things exactly as they are, a scenario that right now feels all but impossible.

The doubts that surfaced as Xabi Alonso’s team squandered a five‑point lead, amid poor performances, remain firmly rooted in Valdebebas. They haven’t gone away, and now the technical reports and the overall feeling around the squad will point the club toward its next steps.

Fans make unhappiness known

At the end of the match against Sevilla, despite the three points, the Bernabéu did not go home happy. Those in charge, even less so. The team’s play and its defensive frailty (masked only by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois) could accelerate the push for changes and hard decisions. Echoeing along the Paseo de La Castellana, the fans’ shouts urging the players to “show some fight” were the clearest sign that something isn’t right.

Club chiefs’ conditioning concerns

As AS has been reporting, the team’s fitness is the biggest concern for those making the decisions at Real Madrid. In recent seasons, responsibility for physical preparation had rested with Antonio Pintus - something that changed at the start of this campaign.Alonso’s wish for his own staff to take over that department was granted, but the internal reports indicate that fitness levels are now the primary worry. Pintus, a club man through and through, continues to work at Valdebebas, but in different roles.

In Alonso’s favor is the fact that the team is still alive in all three competitions. On the horizon looms the Spanish Super Cup, a title that has shaped the course of recent seasons for both Real Madrid and Barcelona. There are 18 days to go before the Super Cup semifinal against Atlético Madrid - more than enough time for a change in direction - although all signs point to Alonso arriving in Jeddah with the current setup, and the Super Cup delivering the verdict. And it will do so without any reinforcements along the way.