‘I feel sorry for Xabi Alonso’ - Arsenal legend Henry claims Madrid players are not listening to their manager

The pundit expressed sympathy for the Spanish coach following Madrid's 2-1 Champions League defeat to Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Real Madrid's second consecutive home loss came despite a spirited performance against the Premier League champions.

The hosts took the lead in the 28th minute when Rodrygo broke his recent goal drought with a well-taken strike. 

However, their advantage was short-lived, as Manchester City equalised just seven minutes later with Nico O'Reilly before Erling Haaland scored the winner from the penalty spot.

Speaking on CBS Sports, Henry pointed to Alonso's remarkable success with Bayer Leverkusen as evidence of his coaching ability when players are receptive to his methods.

He implied that the current squad at Real Madrid is not showing the same willingness to listen, contributing to their poor run of form.

“I feel sorry for Xabi Alonso, because you could see what he was able to do with Leverkusen when he had a team that was actually willing to listen to what he wanted to do", he said (via Footballjoe on Instagram).

The loss to City has intensified the pressure on Alonso, whose team has managed only two victories in their last eight matches across all competitions, with three losses and three draws. 

This slump has seen them fall four points behind league leaders Barcelona in the La Liga title race.

Despite the mounting scrutiny and speculation about his future, Alonso has received public backing from key players, including Aurélien Tchouaméni, Vinícius Jr., and Jude Bellingham.

The manager is also contending with a significant injury crisis, which has sidelined numerous first-team regulars.