Alex Kirkland

This is not a way that Real Madrid should play in a final, even if it was to a limited extent successful.

They lost the game, of course.

in the end.

There were flashpoints, sort of disagreements behind the scenes on certain issues, especially about the number of injuries, the fitness, the physical preparation of the team.

There's been some maneuverings there.

Antonio Pintus, the physical coach who'd been sort of sidelined under Xabi Alonso, having previously been a big part of Real Madrid's success, being brought back in and Xabi Alonso had been opposed to that.

Also, the feeling, I think, that things weren't

getting better the team weren't improving even those sort of winning runs you mentioned there they weren't particularly convincing they weren't playing consistently well they didn't seem to be really a real I got an idea of okay this is the way forward and in fact the way that he'd come in with his ideas in the summer the way that he wanted teams to play we were seeing kind of less of that and not more and the other thing I think about why it happens now is that there's still so much at stake

There's half the season left.

The team is still in the title race in the league.

They're still in the Copa del Rey.

They play in the Cup this week.

They're still in the Champions League.

Yes, they've lost the Supercopa, the least important of the trophies up for grabs this season.

So I think it's a combination of all of those factors that means it happens now.

But still, yeah, the timing does come as a big surprise.

Like I say, earlier on today, no one was expecting us to have this conversation right now.

Yeah, it's the classic thing when you're basically on alert watching social media.

Which of the players are going to post statements saying goodbye, thanks boss, all the best for the future?

And which of them are going to be conspicuously silent?