He was one of the most eagerly awaited players, one of the most anticipated comebacks, but he’s not ready yet. Mbappé played his first minutes of the Xabi Alonso era, the last 20 minutes, and showed that he still has a lot of work to do. He lacked rhythm, was out of sync, and had little impact. He came out eager to prove himself, but he’ll have to wait a little longer.
Mbappé makes his debut with Xabi Alonso
The fourth time was the charm. Mbappé has finally been able to take to the pitch since Xabi Alonso arrived. His debut in this Club World Cup has been a long time coming, but like all great stars, even if they arrive late, they arrive, and he does so at the decisive moment of the season. However, he has a lot to improve: when a student misses class, it is more difficult to prepare for the exam on their own and catch up with the rest of the class. Those who work hard end up losing little time.
Disappointment in his first minutes
His entrance onto the field hurt Real Madrid. Gonzalo has not only been touched by a magic wand in this World Cup, he works like no one else and is the first to apply pressure, which forces his teammates, even Vinicius, to move around the field. With the Frenchman’s departure, the team took a step backwards. He still doesn’t behave like a number 9, his natural tendency takes him to the left wing, where in the end, no matter how much he wants to link up with Vinicius, they end up occupying the same area of the pitch and getting in each other’s way.
Xabi Alonso’s plan with Mbappé
Now, the Real Madrid coach has important work to do with the Frenchman. Despite Gonzalo‘s great form, no one doubts—or almost no one—that the academy graduate will end up on the bench behind the French star, which would be normal. But these days, he has the important task of catching up with his teammates, and Xabi Alonso has to work on that. The team is starting to put pressure on itself like it hasn’t done in years, and there are concerns that players like Vinicius and Mbappé will infect each other, as seemed to happen at times once the French striker came on.
The Tolosa-born coach and his staff have three days of training to get the player back into shape and help him automatize the team’s new movement and pressing systems as much as possible. The quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund will be a difficult hurdle and will require maximum concentration and commitment from the team to secure a place among the world’s top four.
Xabi Alonso’s difficult decision
Now Xabi Alonso faces one of the most difficult decisions since his arrival at Real Madrid. With the Frenchman back to full fitness, his inclusion in the starting eleven would be the most logical choice, but Gonzalo’s performance is unquestionable: the youth player is in the running for the Golden Boot and has earned a place among the best players in the team. The Tolosa-born coach will have to decide between the Frenchman’s experience and the youth player’s performance.
Mbappé is back, which is good news for Real Madrid and a blessed problem for Xabi Alonso. No one expected the return of such an important player to generate so much doubt thanks to a youth player who has broken into the first team with the arrival of the new coach. The coach will have a lot of work to do with the French player to help him adapt as quickly as possible to the team’s new system, where it seems that the team is running and pressing again as it has not done for a long time at the club.