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By GETHIN HICKS, SPORTS REPORTER and LUKE POWER, SPORTS REPORTER Published: 22: 20 AEDT, 29 October 2025 | Updated: 00: 41 AEDT, 30 October 2025 95 View comments Real Madrid's squad reportedly believe Xabi Alonso has an inflated view of himself - leading to the accusation that he 'thinks he's Pep Guardiola'. The mega-money stars have been left frustrated by his strict training regime and rumours of a rift between them and their new boss are afoot. Tensions reached boiling point during their 2-1 El Clasico victory over Barcelona on Sunday when Vinicius Junior and Alonso clashed, though the winger has since apologised in what could prove a timely salve. The Brazilian was left perplexed when Alonso substituted him with almost 20 minutes of the clash to go, causing him to rant. Despite Madrid's victory, one which kept them top of La Liga, Alonso's substitution has seen his already tense relationship with Vinicius escalate to an 'unsustainable conflict'. The winger is reportedly considering his future at the club, with the Spanish boss left 'seriously angry' by his behaviour. According to reports from The Athletic today, Vinicius is far from the only Galactico questioning his manager's methods. Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso and his players are reportedly seeing a rift grow between them But Vinicius Junior has returned to training and apologised for his outburst over the weekend The star is seemingly now in the mood to spread the love after sharing a hotel room with his partner Virginia Fonseca When the Spaniard took over at the Bernabeu ahead of the Club World Cup, he found a dressing room with 'many bad habits', the publication reports. Alonso called a meeting early in his tenure in which he laid down a new set of rules. He stressed the importance of punctuality, intensity and dedication in training while warning his squad that no one was guaranteed a starting place. However such changes, coupled with Alonso's playing style, are thought to have left some Madrid stars frustrated. 'He thinks he's Pep Guardiola, but for now he's just Xabi, ' an individual close to a player told The Athletic. 'Some of them have won so much without doing these things that when these have been imposed on them, they have complained, ' a source close to the players reportedly said. 'It's no secret, some cases have been public. It's normal, especially with those who were untouchable. ' However, Vinicius Jr's apology could ease tensions. 'Today I want to apologize to all the Madridistas for my reaction when I was substituted in the Clasico, ' he said. 'Just as I have already done in person during today's training, I also want to apologize again to my teammates, the club, and the president. Tensions in the camp boiled over during El Clasico on Sunday, particularly between Vinicius Junior and his boss The Brazilian was left perplexed after being substituted with some 20 minutes of the clash to go Players have reportedly grown frustrated with Alonso's authoritarian regime at the training ground The former Bayer Leverkusen boss has imposed strict new methods far different from those of former manager Carlo Ancelotti 'Sometimes passion gets the better of me because I always want to win and help my team. My competitive character stems from the love I feel for this club and everything it represents. 'I promise to keep fighting every second for the good of Real Madrid, as I have done since the first day. ' Alonso has also had to take measures in order to stop leaks from the dressing room. Under Ancelotti last season, it was far from uncommon to see Madrid team news reported in newspapers hours ahead of kick-off. This season that's changed, in part due to the club announcing their side on social media two hours ahead of fixtures, but also because Madrid's new boss has restricted the access of players' family and friends around the training ground. Entourages had previously been free to roam the grounds of Real Madrid Sports City. Such methods are nevertheless also understood to have frustrated sections of Madrid's squad. Yet despite such rumours of a burgeoning rift, Alonso has masterminded a positive start to his first season in charge of arguably the world's biggest club. Madrid sit top of La Liga and fifth in the Champions League group after winning all three of their European fixtures. Los Blancos however sit top of La Liga and unbeaten in their Champions League campaign And speaking after his latest victory on Sunday, Alonso played down speculation surrounding his relationship with some quarters of the Los Blancos squad. 'There are different personalities in any dressing room, ' he admitted. 'Right now we will enjoy the win then we'll have a conversation, for sure. ' Reacting to Vinicius's outburst, the 43-year-old added: 'The only thing Vinicius was missing was a goal. It’s true that he came off the pitch when he was feeling best and I could have waited a bit to replace him, but I understood that we needed fresh players to maintain control. Vinicius wanted to stay on because he was feeling good. 'Franco (Mastantuono) wanted to carry on playing too. He said to me, "Are you taking me off? " And I said, "Yes. " Something similar happened with Vini. He wasn’t very happy, but neither was Franco. It happens to everyone, but I’m very happy with Vinicius’s performance. The schedule is demanding and we have to keep going. ' Madrid are back in domestic action on Saturday against Valencia at the Bernabeu. They then face a trip to Liverpool in a fixture which will see Trent Alexander-Arnold make his highly-anticipated return to Anfield.
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