Former Liverpool defender Alvaro Arbeloa is a top contender to replace Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid.Alonso is under serious pressure at the Bernabeu following a 2-0 defeat to Celta Vigo on Sunday night.Alonso replaced Ancelotti in the Madrid dugout in MayGettyAfter beating Barcelona in October, Madrid went five points clear of their rivals. Now they are four points behind them in LaLiga.The Spaniard was only appointed as Carlo Ancelotti’s replacement in May following success at Bayer Leverkusen.The Athletic report that internal discussions have been held by key figures at Real Madrid.They face Man City in the Champions League on Wednesday night and the result could decide his future.The report adds that former Liverpool and Madrid defender Arbeloa, who is in charge of their Castilla team, is a contender to take charge should he be sacked.Another name mooted is a return for Zinedine Zidane, who won three back-to-back Champions League titles in the first of two spells with the club.What has gone wrong for Xabi Alonso?Alonso started off relatively well at Madrid, climbing to the top of LaLiga in October.However, a well-publicised fallout with Vinicius Jr has brought into question whether or not his philosophy will gel at the Bernabeu.Vinicius Jr was furious at being substituted in that Clasico win against Barcelona, which was seen to have undermined his authority at the club.talkSPORT’s Andy Brassell said: “That’s why there’s this question mark over Xabi Alonso. Can he impose himself on a club that’s really got such an embedded, such a deep seated tradition of superstars? Arbeloa is currently in charge of the Madrid B teamGetty“You can’t manage Real Madrid like that, and it is managing, it’s not just coaching. Can you manage Real Madrid in the same way that you can manage anyone else?“He would have gone with his eyes open. He was a player there, he knows. But also, theory and practice are two different things. “So what he’s done before at Real Sociedad’s B team and at Bayer Leverkusen could not be more different from what he’s required to do at Real Madrid.“You can have the best tactical plan in the world and that’s maybe 15 per cent of what you need at Real Madrid is something totally different. “I think as time goes by it’s not becoming less star-led, it’s becoming more star-led. Because you look at not just the stars that are there, but the amount of management and PR and all this sort of stuff they have attached to them.”Jurgen Klopp to Real Madrid?Speculation had been growing that Jurgen Klopp could be a target should Alonso be sacked.Klopp has been ruled out of taking the Madrid jobGettyKlopp is Red Bull’s Head of Global Soccer and earns between £8m – £10m per year.However, that idea was quickly dismissed.“It won’t be Klopp,” Brassell said on talkSPORT’s Hawksbee and Groves.“I’m sure he would love to quit his cushy little number at Red Bull to go into that mad house,” he joked.