Alex Kirkland

So, yeah, it's always quite interesting, like I say, watching, having a look at those messages, sort of reading them, taking them at face value and trying to kind of read between the lines as well.

I think it's significant because he's one of the biggest names.

He's one of the star players.

And it was so obvious and evident that things weren't right there.

We all saw it in literally the biggest game of the season in the Classico.

And what should have been kind of a turning point for the positive for Xabi Alonso was beating Barcelona in the Classico, something they'd failed to do the previous season.

They won that game in the Bernabeu.

And just as that's happening, when this should be sort of the big moment,

it was completely transformed by Vinny's reaction to being subbed off early and making it so public.

I'm not saying there was no way back from that, but I think it was such a crucial moment in all of this because it was sort of laid bare for all to see.

And that was always going to be extremely difficult to recover from, both from Xabi Alonso in terms of his image and his authority as the coach,

when one of the players is reacting to his decisions in that way so publicly and also sort of rebuilding that relationship.

It's in some little signs of maybe rebuilding there.

How much of it is for sure, you don't know in terms of, you know, a hug from Vinny for the coach when he came off a couple of times and things like that.

But that was a really pivotal moment in all of this.

But it wasn't just him.

You know, there are a number of players.

Some of the players, we understand, supported Xabi, supported his ideas and what he wanted to do.

But to go back to another point, you know, the big question is,

is could this squad, this team, this group of players play the kind of football that Xabi Alonso wants them to play, or would they?