Sacked and replaced by Alvaro Arbeloa, many are now criticising Xabi's work as Real coach given the team's improvement since the chance. But Michel told Radio Marca:  "Xabi Alonso's departure was perhaps more understandable from the beginning of the season. It was clear something was going to happen based on what they were writing and saying... "Do you really think there's much difference between what Xabi does and what Arbeloa does? "It's easiest to make decisions against the coaches ; it's almost always the coach who leaves. Xabi Alonso hadn't lost that many games either." Michel, who recently left Al-Qadisiya in Saudi Arabia, also said: "When you hire coaches, you can't change them overnight; there's a timeframe. "I remember when I was young and (Radi) Antic was sacked while we were top of the league, and we ended up losing the title in Tenerife. Was that the coaches' fault? The players and the squad you have are always the main focus."