The mood around Real Madrid can swing quickly, but even accounting for that, the boos that rang around Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Sunday after the team lost 2-0 to Celta Vigo were as clear a sign as any – manager Xabi Alonso is in trouble, a mere six months after taking the job.

Real Madrid's near perfect start to the season has completely unraveled, sliding from a five point lead atop LaLiga to a four point deficit to Barcelona in the span of a month and change. They now have just one win in their last five league games, the UEFA Champions League serving as a reprieve of sorts with four wins out of five thus far. Even then, though, certain cracks are starting to emerge – a lack of cohesion is obvious just about every time Los Blancos play, a mixture of injuries and tactical issues piling up as they hit a rough patch.

It leaves them uniquely vulnerable against City, who may not be at the peak of their powers as Pep Guardiola rebuilds the team yet again but are still winning more often than not and boast one of the sport's greatest cheat codes in Erling Haaland. Alonso will face off against his former manager at Bayern Munich, marking a fascinating test for the Madrid boss, who now has to prove his worth against Guardiola in the hopes of staying in the job.

How to watch Real Madrid vs. Manchester City, odds

Date: Wednesday, Dec. 10 | Time: 3 p.m. ET

Location: Santiago Bernabeu Stadium -- Madrid, Spain

Live ????????????????????????: Paramount+

Odds: Real Madrid +180; Draw +280; Manchester City +130

Alonso's vision fails to come together

When Alonso succeeded Carlo Ancelotti as Madrid's manager in late spring, he promised a revamp that would not only resemble his double-winning Bayer Leverkusen team but many successful teams that would allow Los Blancos to re-envision themselves with the modern game in mind. The hallmarks of Alonso's Madrid were supposed to be a high, intense press and an intentional approach in attack, something that was beginning to come together in the early weeks of the season.

Their win in El Clasico in October was supposed to be a sign that things are trending in the right direction but Alonso's side have failed to live up to the mark since. Injuries to the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen and Eder Militao have not helped but his team is not clicking despite notching 13 wins in 14 games to start the campaign. The characteristics Alonso has wanted to define his Madrid team are nowhere in sight – conceding goals is easier than it should be against a team that is surprisingly lax in defense, to the point that they have conceded nine goals in their last seven games across all competitions.

Alonso has yet to strike a true balance in attack, a problem he inherited but one he was also explicitly tasked with fixing. Kylian Mbappe has been the focal point of Los Blancos' offense with 26 goals across all competitions this season but he is the only star with any consistency – Vinicius Junior has gone 11 games without scoring and Rodrygo, who almost exited this summer, is now on a 33-game goal drought. They may be overly reliant on Mbappe, too, winning just two games in which the France international has not scored.