Pitch Points: Xabi Alonso’s future; can Wrexham dream of Premier League?

What’s next for Xabi Alonso after leaving Real Madrid?

As damaging as Sunday’s Spanish Super Cup defeat to Barcelona was for Xabi Alonso’s credibility as Real Madrid manager, the scenes after the game ultimately finished him off. The sight of Kylian Mbappé overriding Alonso, insisting his teammates leave the pitch as the manager requested in vain that they give Barça a guard of honour, summed up an untenable situation.

Less than 24 hours later, Alonso was gone. Just seven months ago, the 44-year-old was widely seen as the best young coach of his generation. He had the pick of Europe’s biggest clubs after sensationally leading Bayer Leverkusen to the Bundesliga title. However, none of the things that worked for Alonso in Germany worked for him at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Related: Xabi Alonso failed to control Real Madrid’s egos in brief and bitter reign

How much Alonso is blamed for that will be evident in what comes next. Will Europe’s biggest clubs, many of whom Alonso spurned a year ago, come calling in the belief the former midfielder was never likely to survive the Real Madrid viper’s nest? Could Liverpool, for example, pretend that the last seven months never happened and replace Arne Slot with the man many thought was destined to succeed Jürgen Klopp in the first place?

Considering Alonso was so careful to wait for the perfect opportunity before taking over at Leverkusen, rejecting other job offers as he bided his time, it was always surprising that he felt Real Madrid was the right next step. He may, however, get a do-over. Real Madrid never wanted a “process” coach, but someone else could.

Was Wrexham’s win over Premier League opposition a sign of things to come?

Ryan Reynolds had never seen such a momentous occasion as Wrexham co-owner, not least because he missed the Welsh team’s third goal of a landmark FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest. Nature calls for us all, even Deadpool. The Premier League may be calling for Wrexham too.

Possibly not this season though. While Phil Parkinson’s side are on a good run of form, winning their last five matches in a row in all competitions, Wrexham still find themselves outside the playoff places in the Championship. After three successive promotions, this season may be about consolidation in the second tier. That would still be a success.

Related: Goalkeeper Okonkwo is the hero as Wrexham shock Nottingham Forest in FA Cup shootout

Friday’s win over Forest, however, may have hinted at Wrexham’s ultimate destination. There’s still a long way to go before Wrexham are anywhere near good enough to regularly compete at Premier League level. Transfermarkt values Wrexham’s squad at €56m and Nottingham Forest’s at €602m. That gulf, however, could be bridged.

This explains why Rob McElhenney and Reynolds have opened the Racecourse Ground door to outside investment, recently selling a stake in Wrexham to US private equity investors Apollo. The New York-based Allyn family have also invested in the Welsh club. While the win over Nottingham Forest was Wrexham’s first victory over Premier League opposition in this era, they have been gearing up to compete at that level for some time.

What can Thomas Frank do to prevent the inevitable?

Booing at full-time has become just as much a part of the Tottenham Hotspur matchday experience as buying a pint from the on-site craft brewery. So much so that apathy has started to dull the vitriol regularly directed towards Thomas Frank and his players. The booing after Tottenham’s latest defeat to Aston Villa was half-hearted.

It’s understandable that Spurs fans are at the end of their tether. After finishing 17th last season, the north London club is once again sliding further and further down the Premier League table, winning just two of their last 12 games. Frank’s points per game ratio (1.32) is even lower than Ange Postecoglou’s was (1.52).

Related: Buendía deepens gloom for Frank and Spurs as Aston Villa progress in FA Cup

Saturday’s home loss to Villa closed the door on a run in the FA Cup, with Spurs also out of the Carabao Cup. Frank’s team are well-placed to reach the next round of the Champions League, but few expect them to make the sharp end of the competition. The things that kept Postecoglou in a job until the end of last season are ebbing away for his replacement.

Frank can’t be blamed for everything. Spurs were in disarray before he arrived. Daniel Levy was forced out as chair in September as a consequence of how the club was being run in the boardroom. Frank can’t answer for the transfer strategy or the lack of ambition, but he is increasingly being seen as a symptom of these problems. How much longer can he delay the inevitable?