Xabi Alonso has lamented the failure of his seven-month stint as Real Madrid manager but has put aside dressing room tensions to thank his players in his first public statement following his Bernabeu departure.
The Spanish coach was hired from Bayer Leverkusen after a stunning run in the Bundesliga, with the Basque helping to dethrone Bayern Munich and end a run of 11 successive league titles, but he quickly found himself under pressure amid mixed results this season.
