'I had a coach like Antonio Conte' — Real Madrid star explains why Alonso got fired

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has vehemently denied allegations that the club's senior players orchestrated the dismissal of former head coach Xabi Alonso over his demanding tactical methods. 

Speaking to reporters recently after Madrid's dominant 3-0 victory over Manchester City in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie under new boss Álvaro Arbeloa, Courtois moved to clear the dressing room's name. 

Widespread reports had suggested that high-profile stars were frustrated by Alonso's tedious video analysis sessions and complex tactical instructions. 

However, the Belgian shot-stopper firmly rejected those claims, explicitly referencing his past experience working under the notoriously meticulous Antonio Conte at Chelsea, where the pair won the 2016/17 Premier League and 2017/18 FA Cup.

"Nobody tried to get Xabi fired," Courtois insisted, per Fabrizio. "We worked hard. People were saying we didn't like the tactics, or the videos... Look, I had a coach like Antonio Conte who had us there for an hour every day, and it didn't matter because we're professionals.

The intense speculation surrounding player unrest stems from Alonso's abrupt sacking in January, barely seven months into his tenure at the Santiago Bernabéu. 

Despite arriving with a pedigree after leading Bayer Leverkusen to an invincible domestic double (the 2023/24 Bundesliga and 2023/24 DFB-Pokal), Alonso's rigid tactical approach and poor man-management reportedly caused friction with key figures like Vinícius Júnior and Federico Valverde, alongside disagreements over the physical conditioning methods of fitness coach Antonio Pintus. 

The tipping point arrived on January 11, when Real Madrid suffered a crushing 3-2 defeat to arch-rivals FC Barcelona in the Supercopa de España final in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 

The devastating loss prompted club president Florentino Pérez to pull the plug on the project, terminating Alonso's three-year contract and immediately promoting Castilla coach Arbeloa.