Moving on from Alonso shows that anything but a trophy is unacceptable this season, and the Copa del Rey will be Madrid's best chance at one. Already in the round of 16, it doesn't take much to be able to see a title in their future, but as long as they can get the Arbeloa era off to a good start, it will be a job well done.

It was a bolt from the blue. Xabi Alonso’s position as Real Madrid head coach had been in danger for some time, but the brutal manner of his sacking on Monday evening still shocked.

Alonso had been building his tactical plan in flight from the moment he arrived in Madrid — tasked with laying the foundations of his ideas during the expanded Club World Cup in the United States last...