Xabi Alonso breaks his silence on his failure at Real.

A few months after his premature departure from Real Madrid, Xabi Alonso has opened up about one of the most difficult moments of his managerial career. In an interview with The Athletic, the Spanish coach reflected on the reasons behind his dismissal, which came last January, only five months after he had taken charge of the Spanish giants.

Now at the helm of Chelsea, the Basque manager insists that he has moved on and is fully focused on this new chapter of his career. Although the end of his time in Madrid was a major disappointment, Alonso does not want to remain trapped in the past.

A “scar” that has finally healed

The 44-year-old admitted that his dismissal from Real Madrid left a mark on him. However, he believes he has now gained enough perspective to turn that painful experience into a new source of motivation.

“Fortunately, I don’t have many scars in my career. Well, I have one, but it is healing. Now that it has closed, I am very motivated and determined to enjoy this new stage at Chelsea, just as I did when I started in Madrid,” he explained.

Xabi Alonso also revealed that he carried out a deep period of self-reflection after losing his job. Rather than blaming other people, the former midfielder chose to analyse his own decisions and identify the mistakes he may have made during his brief spell in charge of Real Madrid.

“Looking back, I take both the positive things and what didn’t work. I have been very self-critical, thinking about what I could have done better, because things did not go as I had hoped. You learn from disappointments, from what did not work, and you try to make sure things go better in the future,” he added.

Tactical and man-management difficulties

When asked about the specific reasons behind his departure, Alonso refused to point to one single issue. According to him, his failure at Real Madrid was the result of several factors, including tactical problems and difficulties in managing the squad.

“There were many positive experiences. I had to adapt, some things worked well and others did not, both in terms of the football and the management of the group. It was a mixture of everything.”

Following his dismissal, the former Bayer Leverkusen coach decided to spend several months away from management. He used that break to recover both physically and mentally before committing himself to another demanding project.

“It was mainly about recharging my batteries. As a coach, you need an enormous amount of energy. You have to be full of energy to pass it on to others. It is essential to communicate that passion and enthusiasm for football in every training session and in every game plan. I mainly used that period for myself. I did not watch much football. It was primarily about finding myself again.”

Chelsea’s project convinced him

🚨 Xabi Alonso: “Losing Real Madrid job? I got a SCAR, but now it’s healed.

Looking back, I take the positives and the things that didn’t work out.

I’ve been very critical of myself, thinking about what I could’ve DONE BETTER because it did NOT go as EXPECTED.” @TheAthleticFC pic.twitter.com/MzPRwvn9AJ

— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) August 2, 2026

Alonso explained that Chelsea’s sporting project immediately appealed to him. Before accepting the position, he wanted to make sure that he and the club’s senior officials shared the same understanding of the team’s strengths and weaknesses.

“Everything revolved around the project. I had an outside view of Chelsea. I could see the strong points, but also the areas that concerned me. We discussed them. The club and the sporting directors were also going through a period of reflection, with things they wanted to improve. The most important thing was that we shared the same analysis. If our views had been different, it probably would not have been the right starting point. So far, we are making the right decisions.”