Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola sympathised with his Real Madrid counterpart Xabi Alonso, warning that he would have been fired by the Spanish giants based upon his performance at the Etihad last season.
Alonso heads into Wednesday night’s Champions League clash against his former manager with his job reportedly on the line. As much as difficulties in controlling the dressing room have been raised, results have begun to wane.
Madrid have won just two of their last seven matches across all competitions, drawing three times between a pair of defeats.
Yet, for all the doom-mongering, Guardiola was keen to point out that the standards at Madrid are loftier than any other club. “Barcelona and Madrid are the toughest clubs to be a manager, the pressure and environment,” the Catalan coach lamented. “If I’d done last season here I would’ve been sacked.”
2024–25 Pep Guardiola vs. 2025–26 Xabi Alonso
Record after 21 games
| Stat | Guardiola (Man City) | Alonso (Real Madrid) |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 10 | 15 |
| Draws | 5 | 3 |
| Losses | 6 | 3 |
| Goals For | 39 | 44 |
| Goals Against | 30 | 20 |
Guardiola was referencing Manchester City’s disastrous 2024–25 campaign, which helps put Alonso’s supposed plight in context. At the same stage of the season, the rapidly unravelling Premier League champions had lost twice as many matches, while boasting a wildly inferior goal difference.
Even this season, when City are billed as far more stable than Madrid, Guardiola has suffered five defeats compared to Alonso’s three.
Guardiola Backs Alonso for the Long Term
“I have sympathy because we were together for two years and it was an incredible experience being with him,” Guardiola said of his former Bayern Munich midfielder.
The former Barcelona boss acknowledged that Alonso faces an uphill battle to apply his playing philosophy at a club which has little time for anything other than immediate success.
“It’s difficult but he knows it, he has been here,” Guardiola mused. “They have a lot of absences. I know what happens when you wanna build something. Of course he is capable of doing what is required in that position. I only wish him the best. I love him.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Pep Guardiola Wades in on Intensifying Xabi Alonso Sack Debate.
