Barcelona's Flick: Alonso has great future ahead
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Barcelona's Flick Backs Xabi Alonso to Land New Role Quickly
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick expressed strong support for Xabi Alonso, predicting the former Real Madrid manager will secure a new job soon after his abrupt departure from the Bernabéu. Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday ahead of Barcelona's Copa del Rey round-of-16 clash with Racing Santander, Flick described Alonso's sacking as part of football's nature: "This is football." The pair share a friendship from Flick's time as Germany national team boss, though they became rivals when Alonso succeeded Carlo Ancelotti at Madrid last summer.
Alonso's 233-day tenure at Madrid ended Monday following a dramatic 3-2 Supercopa de España final loss to Flick's Barcelona last weekend in Jeddah. Despite leading Bayer Leverkusen to a historic Bundesliga title in 2024, Alonso departs with a solid record of 24 wins in 34 matches, losing only six. The defeat proved costly, amid issues like Vinícius Júnior's public frustration after a substitution in October's Clásico win, and internal tensions including rejected transfer requests and clashes with fitness coach Antonio Pintus. Madrid announced the split as a "mutual agreement," but sources indicate it was a dismissal, with Álvaro Arbeloa named as replacement.
Their head-to-head record was split: Madrid won October's LaLiga Clásico 2-1, but Barcelona triumphed in the Supercopa thriller, fueled by goals from Raphinha, Lewandowski, and Gonzalo García. Flick praised Alonso's future: backing him to have a "great career in management."
Shifting focus, Flick previewed Thursday's cup tie, confirming new loan signing João Cancelo could debut after rejoining from Al Hilal until season's end. "João is a fantastic footballer, very professional... We need quality there," Flick said of the full-back's offensive prowess, despite initially wanting a center-back. Joan García is likely to start in goal over Marc-André ter Stegen.
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