Xabi Alonso arrived at Real Madrid two months ago with a clear statement of intent at his presentation: “to fire up the fans.” The challenge was enormous, given the magnitude of the team he was joining and the fact that the Club World Cup was starting just 15 days after his arrival, with less than a week of preparation before the first game. The team reached the semifinals and little by little we have seen the Real Madrid that the coach wants and what could become a team that is still under construction. Two months of hard work that in less than a week will become a reality in which there is no room for error if they want to stay at the top and win titles again.
Xabi Alonso and the challenges he set himself at his presentation
“I have an idea of how I want to play, a team that transmits emotion, energy and connects with the fans. The picture of the system may change.“ He added that ”the most important thing is to have good players, the rest is my problem. The challenge is to get the most out of everyone and for us all to pull together,” said Xabi Alonso two months ago, setting himself the goal of playing proactively, adapting and firing up the crowd with what they see on the pitch.
In this regard, he also spoke about whether he would opt for high pressure or a low block: “I like us to know how to choose the right moments. With an idea of how to do it, with organization, with control with and without the ball. You have to know how to handle different contexts. The idea is to play an ambitious, proactive game, taking the initiative. We have the players to do it.”
A World Cup with ups and downs
Real Madrid traveled to the United States with just five or six days of training and without the entire squad. From his first day at Valdebebas training the team, it was clear that things were going to be done differently. The coach demands effort and commitment, and from the first day of training, the physical work has been more intense, requiring his players to make an effort they did not have to make during Carlo Ancelotti’s spell.
One of Xabi Alonso’s most repeated premises since his arrival is that he wants the team to play as a unit, with everyone attacking and defending as a team. This has been hard work and is not yet fully established, but it is starting to show. Similarly, as we said, we are beginning to see how this system with three center backs and two wingbacks can work.
We also saw what Arda Güler can offer as the playmaker the team has been missing since Toni Kroos’ departure. He is good in attack and on the ball, but needs to improve defensively and tactically when his team does not have possession and control of the game. In attack, Gonzalo’s incursion was surprising, but it was once again clear that Mbappé and Vinicius do not work well together and that Rodrygo is surplus to requirements at Real Madrid.
Much to do
The defeat in the semifinals against PSG makes it clear that there is still much to do, and once again it will have to be done quickly, as the team returns to work on August 4 and will play its first league game at the Santiago Bernabéu against Osasuna just 15 days later. Xabi Alonso has a long to-do list for those 15 days: deciding who will partner Huijsen in defense, giving Fran García more playing time or going for Carreras on the left wing, improving Arda Güler’s performance as playmaker since it seems that the much-anticipated signing of a midfielder will not happen, assigning a role to players such as Ceballos, Camavinga, and newcomer Mastantuono, and, most importantly, decide whether to follow Ancelotti’s lead and put all the stars in the starting lineup or sacrifice some egos for the good of the team.