This Saturday marked the end of Carlo Ancelotti’s era on the bench at Real Madrid. The coach said goodbye as the most successful coach in the club’s history and was honored by the Santiago Bernabéu crowd. Xabi Alonso will become the new coach of the white team starting this Monday, when he will begin planning the squad for next season, but in the shorter term, the goal is very clear: to win the Club World Cup.
The Spanish coach will be presented next Monday at Valdebebas and, although he has been working behind the scenes for some time, from that moment on he will begin to work on a project that excites Madrid fans, who see Xabi Alonso as the coach who will make them great again and add to their extensive trophy cabinet after Carlo Ancelotti’s successful second spell in charge.
How Xabi Alonso will play
One of the unknowns to be cleared up with the arrival of the coach is what formation he will use. Xabi Alonso has had a very defined system during his time at Bayer Leverkusen in Germany. There, depending on the phase of the game, he has played with a 3-4-3 that easily transforms into a 5-2-3 or a 4-4-2, with the wingers playing an important role in the attacking play depending on their position.
The main question surrounding his arrival at Real Madrid will be whether he will stick with the three-center-back system or not.
Until a few days ago, the Leverkusen coach had opted throughout his career for a formation with three central defenders accompanied by wing-backs. However, depending on the squad available to him at the Santiago Bernabéu, he may change his system. It cannot be ruled out that he will use three center backs in the white team. Dean Huijsen arrives to be important
One of those three center backs will be newcomer Dean Huijsen, who has signed a five-year contract with Real Madrid after a memorable season with Bournemouth, where he demonstrated his defensive prowess and impressive attacking ability, thanks in large part to his height (6’5″) which makes him very effective on set pieces.
His signing was one of Real Madrid’s priorities, given all the defensive problems the team has had throughout the season. Asencio has become an important player alongside Rüdiger, who has suffered from injuries throughout the season and underwent surgery a few weeks ago to repair his damaged knee.
Also recovering from injury are Eder Militao, who has been unavailable all season, and David Alaba, who is clinging to his place but whom Real Madrid are considering selling as he has hardly played this season and with the arrival of Huijsen will become the fifth center back. He is also one of the highest-paid players on the squad, so saving his salary is of interest to the club, especially as his contract expires next season and he will be able to leave on a free transfer.
The arrival of another center back
Due to the possibility of playing with three center backs, Rüdiger’s physical condition, and the possible departure of David Alaba, Real Madrid has not ruled out returning to the transfer market in search of a new center back, for which there are several names on the agenda. One of them is Antonio Silva, a promising 21-year-old defender who plays for Benfica. Also Evan N’Dicka, currently with AS Roma, and Marc Guehi, one of the best center backs in the Premier League. There has also been much speculation about the option of Piero Hincapié, recommended by Xabi Alonso, who can play as a center back and full back.