Xabi Alonso’s failure to sign Martin Zubimendi in the summer has been a key reason behind his struggles as Real Madrid manager.That’s according to Spanish football expert Phil Kitromilides, who believes the Los Blancos boss is desperately missing a player of Zubimendi’s quality, as pressure continues to mount on him.GettyXabi Alonso has won five of his 28 games in charge of Real Madrid[/caption]Alonso is facing an uncertain future at the Bernabeu, especially after defeat to Manchester City in the Champions League.Despite leading through an early Rodrygo strike, the Citizens fought back through goals from Nico O’Reilly and Erling Haaland to win.This saw Real lose back-to-back games, while defeat in Europe means they are now hanging onto seventh spot in the 36-team table ahead of matches with Monaco and Benfica.talkSPORT reported earlier this week that there were big question marks over Alonso’s future, and the situation only worsened on Wednesday, as his side were booed off at full-time.Although Jude Bellingham has insisted the Spaniard has the backing of his players, time appears to be running out to turn things around.Missing pieceAmong the issues plaguing Alonso’s side, Spanish football expert Kitromilides highlighted a lack of creativity as a major issue – an area he believes Zubimendi could have proved influential.The Spanish international joined Arsenal from Real Sociedad for £55million in the summer, but they weren’t his only admirers.Alonso was reported to be a huge fan of the deep-lying midfielder, having worked with him whilst in charge of Sociedad’s B team between 2019 and 2022 – and Kitromilides was quick to point this out.Appearing on talkSPORT’s Hawksbee and Jacobs, he said: “There was a very good international player who Xabi Alonso knew very well, had worked with before, was on the move this summer that they absolutely should have gone to fill that position. “And that’s Martin Zubimendi, and they didn’t get him. GettyZubimendi has started in all 15 of Arsenal’s Premier League games this season[/caption]Jude Bellingham has publicly backed his manager amid rising pressureAFP“It was so obvious, like we were all sitting here thinking: ‘Why haven’t they gone for Zubimendi?’“Alonso wanted him. The club said: ‘No, you’ve got enough midfielders there. Just work with what you got’. And it hasn’t worked out.”Kitromilides argued that Zubimendi would have provided balance for Real Madrid in midfield, as he argued none of their current options can offer the same level of control in the centre of the park.He continued: “That is a big glaring hole in the Real Madrid side. It is a very unbalanced team. “There is nobody in that deep-lying playmaker position, nobody that can do that. And we’re seeing that.“That’s not the only reason why Real Madrid are having problems because they didn’t sign Martin Zubimendi, but it really would have helped.”Real Madrid have struggled to replace club legend Luka Modric, who left the club in the summerGettyZubimendi has proved a valuable addition to Arsenal’s team since his arrival in the summer, who lead the way in the Premier League table.He has been a virtual ever-present for the Gunners, starting 20 out of their 23 games in all competitions, as well as scoring twice and assisting three times.The defensive stability he offers at the base of midfield has also proved crucial in unlocking Declan Rice‘s more attacking qualities.‘He might be gone’Moving onto the topic of Alonso’s future in Madrid, Kitromilides admitted an almost immediate turnaround is need to save him from the sack.The LaLiga giants return to league action against Alaves on Saturday, before a potential banana-skin in a Copa del Rey clash with third-tier outfit Talavera next Wednesday.When asked if Alonso could be gone by Christmas, Kitromilides admitted: “I don’t know. I want to say no, but probably [yes].GettyReal Madrid currently trail Barcelona by four points at the top of LaLiga[/caption]“I mean, given what we’ve seen and given what Real Madrid are like and just the margin of error is so tiny now. It’s literally game by game.“So if they lose to Alaves at the weekend, then I do think he’s gone. If they draw, he might be gone. “And if they only win 1-0 and not playing very well, he’ll get a stay of execution till the next week.”