Thibaut Courtois addresses talk about Real Madrid players preparing to sack Xabi Alonso during Los Blancos’ victory over Manchester City

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois denied reports that his teammates were planning to sack Xabi Alonso after the 3-0 win over visiting Manchester City in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 on Wednesday (March 11).

Alonso arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu last summer after a successful spell with Bayer Leverkusen and had a good start to life in the Spanish capital before Los Blancos suffered a decline in form.

Although they recovered to reach the Spanish Super Cup final, a 3-2 loss to arch-rivals Barcelona eventually led to Alonso’s sacking amid reports of unrest and discord in the dressing room.

“No player has prepared Xabi Alonso,” Courtois said. “I think we did a good job. They said we hate tactics, we hate videos. … Look, I had Antonio Conte who was working for one hour every day, and I was there and I didn’t mind it because we are professionals and the priority is my job.

“I think the first months with Xavi went very well, then we hit a slump. This happens in football.”

Alonso – who has been out of management since leaving Los Blancos in January – finished his stint at the Bernabeu with a record of 24 wins in 34 matches across competitions, losing six. His winning percentage of 70.59% is better than what he achieved at Bayer Leverkusen (62.86%), where he won the domestic double (2023-24).

Returning to the aforementioned match at the Santiago Bernabéu in midweek, midfielder Federico Valverde scored his first career hat-trick as Los Blancos took a big step towards reaching the last eight. The confrontation will conclude at Etihad Stadium on Tuesday (March 17).

How did Thibaut Courtois perform with Real Madrid this season?

Thibaut Courtois has had a solid, if not spectacular, season for Real Madrid. The Belgian goalkeeper – who has been at the Santiago Bernabeu since 2018 – has kept 15 clean sheets in 39 appearances across competitions.

Four of them have come in 10 Champions League matches, including two in their last three as Los Blancos beat Benfica 3-1 on aggregate in the knockout qualifiers before beating Manchester City 3-0 at home in the round of 16.

Courtois has kept 11 clean sheets in 27 La Liga matches – the most in the competition (also Barcelona’s Juan Garcia) – as Alvaro Arbeloa’s side trail leaders Barcelona (67) by four points with 11 games remaining.