Xabi Alonso and the Valdebebas overnight stay that split the squad

According to MARCA, Xabi Alonso's exit from Real Madrid was partly down to how he handled discipline, which opened a gap with his players. One key episode came before the Athletic match: he ordered the squad to stay overnight at Valdebebas, a decision that did not sit well with several senior players in the dressing room.

After the 0-3 win in Bilbao, came two days off to calm things down, but results did not improve: a 0-2 defeat to Celta in La Liga and a 1-2 loss to Manchester City in the Champions League made an already difficult situation worse.

The contrast comes with José Mourinho. Back from Athens around 3am, the Portuguese kept the squad at the training ground to avoid unnecessary travel before the Valencia game, with only two training sessions available. He presented it as a shared decision to protect rest rather than a disciplinary order, and the players took it well: nobody went home to grab a few more hours of sleep.