Toni Kroos wants Real Madrid to give Xabi Alonso time and has sympathy for him, claiming "nobody will be happy" even when the club are winning.
Alonso has endured a turbulent start to life as Madrid head coach, with his team sitting second in LaLiga, four points off Barcelona, at the winter break.
The Spaniard replaced Carlo Ancelotti prior to the Club World Cup, with Madrid reaching the semi-finals before being knocked out by Paris Saint-Germain.
And in LaLiga, after winning each of their first six matches, Los Blancos faltered, enduring fluctuating form in their following 12 matches (W7 D3 L2).
They are currently second favourites to win the title, given a 19.5% chance by the Opta supercomputer, with Barcelona heavily favoured at 76.8% ahead of them.
Madrid do sit in the automatic qualification spots in a congested Champions League table, but the pressure has ramped up on Alonso, despite his 71% win rate, as they struggle for consistency in all competitions.
There have also been reports of unrest between Alonso and some of the players, particularly Vinicius Junior, which has seemingly since been resolved.
However, Kroos is confident Alonso is the right man to lead Madrid going forward.
"The hardest thing as a coach is managing in Madrid," Kroos told Romario on his YouTube channel.
"It's a different kind of pressure. Here you can win matches, and nobody will be happy. There are few clubs like that.
"Also, if you draw or lose, which has happened lately, the reactions are different because the club isn't used to this and the criticism increases.
"You always need results, but I'm convinced that Xabi is a very good coach and that he has the quality to manage in Madrid; we just have to give him time.
"But we all know what Real Madrid means, Xabi first and foremost, and he knew what could happen before signing here."
Madrid return to LaLiga action on January 4 against Real Betis.