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NO REPRIEVE FOR THE XAB

Heading into midweek's clash against Manchester City, the position of Xabi Alonso in the dugout seemed as uncertain as a Spanish omelette being flipped. Only 14 games since his appointment, the solitary major stain on his record had been an unacceptable 5-2 hammering against Atlético. But, from the beginning of November, Los Blancos have only won three victories in nine outings, with arguably their most unpalatable results coming in the form of stalemates against supposed La Liga lesser teams, culminating in Sunday’s humiliating home defeat to Celta Vigo.

In the Bigger Cup, the Spanish giants still look set to claim a crucial top eight spot even after their loss at the hands of City, a defeat which was greeted by shrill whistles of disapproval by demanding supporters who had actually just seen their knack-ravaged squad play reasonably well.

"If you fail to win in your own stadium that can happen," admitted the coach of the reaction from the notoriously demanding crowd. "We persevered, we fought until the end and with all the difficulties we have [with injuries] the players gave everything. Today there is nothing to criticise. Our form over the past two months haven’t been good, or what we wanted. We’re self-critical, but must keep working and have faith it will pass."

Despite rumours the club's high-profile stars have little or no truck with Alonso’s insistence on tactical drills, sit through lengthy analysis sessions and compulsory mandatory evening seminars about the economics of fishing in Galicia, there was plenty of public backing for the beleaguered manager.

After netting their opener, the Brazilian forward high-fived his manager by the sideline, while both the goalkeeper and Jude Bellingham offering heartwarming post-match references to the media. "The manager’s been great," tooted Bellingham, in what some might call excessive flattery he might do well to replicate the next time he joins the national team. "I myself have a fantastic rapport with him, a lot of the lads do as well. Following our initial spell when we had some draws, we held great conversations within the group. In the last couple of games, we have simply not been good enough once more. But nobody is downing tools, nobody is complaining, moaning, believing our campaign is finished."

While it would be unheard of for the UK press to distort what Bellingham says to suit some weird agenda, one might suggest that in stating many of his colleagues have a good relationship with the coach, the midfielder was subtly hinting that quite a few others don’t. Vinícius Júnior has evidently had disagreements with his boss and the winger is widely reported to have told Madrid’s overlords he will not ink a new deal as long as Alonso remains in charge. It makes you think what the Brazilian made of the next day's Spanish press, which gave Alonso a free pass for this defeat and instead placed responsibility squarely at Viní’s wasteful feet.

STATEMENT OF THE DAY

"Freedom of expression and privacy rights are fundamental rights. No supporter surrenders those rights simply because they cross a border. This policy creates a chilling atmosphere of monitoring which goes against the inclusive ethos the [Geopolitics] World Cup is supposed to represent and it must be withdrawn at once" – a supporters' group director, executive director of a fan organization, criticizes a proposed policy that would require travelers heading to the United States for the World Cup to provide details regarding their online profiles.