Real Madrid vs Barcelona: How Their Next Five Fixtures Stack Up Following Shocking Managerial Shake-Up

"It's a blend of feelings," Xabi Alonso shared with reporters after witnessing his Real Madrid squad rally twice before eventually falling to Barcelona in Sunday's Spanish Super Cup final.

It seems there was a far more deliberate decision-making process from the hierarchy above him.

Merely eight months into his role, Real Madrid severed ties with Alonso. The former Madrid midfielder departed the club sitting four points behind league leaders Barcelona at the top of La Liga with half the season remaining and positioned for a top-eight placement in the Champions League's league stage.

However, Real maintains unwavering high expectations. As Alonso's predecessor Carlo Ancelotti previously observed: "Something I discovered at Real Madrid is that a tie here signals the beginning of turmoil. No kidding. You must adapt to that reality."

Alonso never received sufficient time to become familiar with that harsh truth. Álvaro Arbeloa has been properly cautioned and confronts a compelling series of fixtures which, should he require any reminder, must result in victories.

Álvaro Arbeloa's Opening Five Fixtures As Real Madrid Manager

Arbeloa has received somewhat of an easy start to launch his Real Madrid era. The capital side faces second-division Albacete in the Copa del Rey's round of 16 on Wednesday evening. It's been five years since a team outside La Liga eliminated Madrid from Spain's main domestic tournament, and considering this marks his managerial debut, the former right-back will likely avoid extensive squad rotation. Hansi Flick's Barcelona also meets second-tier opposition in Racing.

Madrid should be careful not to overlook Levante as well. The newly promoted team might be struggling in La Liga's drop zone, but they possess a remarkably solid away performance record in the division, collecting 11 points from 10 matches. Sevilla discovered just how challenging they can be early in January, suffering a 3–0 defeat on home soil. It's a more manageable fixture theoretically compared to Barcelona's assignment, though Real Sociedad, former Champions League participants, have fallen well short of their past standards.

Monaco will then visit the Santiago Bernabéu for Real Madrid's final home match in the Champions League's league stage. The Monaco-based club remains undefeated in European competition since their opening week defeat to Club Brugge but has also experienced managerial upheaval this season, dismissing Adi Hütter in October. Barcelona encounters an away fixture for the third occasion in six days—this time accumulating significant travel distance to Prague for their clash with Slavia.

There's no risk of Marcelino losing his position at Villarreal, Madrid's fourth adversary during Arbeloa's early period. The former Valencia manager has guided his current team into La Liga's top three, sitting just four points behind Madrid with a match in reserve at the time of Alonso's exit. It becomes an increasingly difficult encounter knowing Barcelona will face Oviedo in what should be a comfortable victory.

Villarreal could emerge as Madrid's most formidable challenge in the upcoming weeks, but Arbeloa's most captivating encounter is undoubtedly against his former coach José Mourinho.

Whether the ex-Madrid manager will remain in charge when Benfica welcomes Real Madrid for their final league stage match remains questionable: Mourinho has already implemented his crisis management tactics by requiring the team to stay overnight at the training facility. Arbeloa understands the Portuguese manager's psychological strategies well, having featured in 122 matches under his guidance in the Spanish capital. Meanwhile, Barcelona concludes their league stage schedule against Copenhagen.