Why Alonso's chances of survival at Real Madrid are slim

Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid fate has not yet been decided but Wednesday's Champions League game against Manchester City at the Bernabeu could prove crucial.

Fans are losing patience and Madrid were booed off after Sunday's 2-0 La Liga defeat by Celta Vigo, prompting an emergency meeting for the club's hierarchy to discuss Alonso's future.

Real remain four points behind leaders Barcelona having won just one of their last five La Liga matches and, after a dramatic slump since beating Barcelona in October, it seems now his chances of survival are very slim.

Alonso arrived at Real in the summer offering a modern approach but the club has to accept that this step is necessary. And it still resists.

President Florentino Perez has never fully believed in this kind of change, even though people inside the club convinced him to appoint Rafa Benitez, Julien Lopetegui and Xabi Alonso - steps in a new direction.

But the moment they falter, show doubt or the players stop buying in, Perez turns his thumb down, given that in the past the club has been more successful with less interventionist coaches like Carlo Ancelotti or Zinedine Zidane.

When he arrived at Bayer Leverkusen, Alonso asked to be released if any of the clubs he had played for came calling, provided he felt like taking the job.

He added one more team to that list - Manchester City, as Pep's eventual replacement. Now it could be Pep who leaves him without a job.