Real Madrid begins its second week of preparation, the last before the start of the league season, with its only official friendly of the preseason, Tuesday’s match against WSG Tirol. One of the big questions is what starting eleven Xabi Alonso will field and whether it will be a rehearsal for next week’s first official match against Osasuna.
Xabi Alonso and the playing system
The first big question mark surrounding the new season is how the players will be lined up on the pitch, i.e., what system will be used. There are several alternatives, all of which have already been tried out in the Club World Cup matches. On Tuesday, Real Madrid will play their only preseason match—Friday’s match against Leganés behind closed doors is considered a training match—before the league championship kicks off. They will do so in Austria against WSG Tirol, where the coach will reveal his first decision regarding the lineup. One of the most popular options has been the 5-3-2, which could almost be considered a 3-5-2. The idea behind this system is to open up the field with two full-backs who cover the entire wing, closing down the defense with three center backs who provide superiority at the back, but also when it comes to playing the ball out from the back.
The second option is 4-4-2, strengthening the midfield and with wing-backs who also cover ground but are more cautious in order to offer greater defensive coverage. And finally, 4-3-3, a system that, curiously, has been used twice, resulting in the team’s two defeats in the World Cup. However, this system gains ground if he decides to start Gonzalo, as it seems unlikely that either Mbappé or Vinicius will be left on the bench.
Doubts about the starting eleven
As mentioned above, whether or not Gonzalo will start is one of the big questions ahead of Tuesday’s game, which, in principle, should give us some clarity about what the first league starting eleven might look like, but it is not the only question. It remains to be seen who will replace Bellingham until the Englishman recovers from his shoulder problems following surgery. But it also remains to be seen who will accompany Huijsen in defense, because everything indicates that it will be Rudiger, but Asencio is also in contention, and Militao seems to be regaining his best form.
And the full-backs? It also looks like it will be Carreras and Alexander-Arnold, but Carvajal is also working hard to regain his place, and Fran García was one of Real Madrid’s best players in the Club World Cup.
In midfield, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Fede Valverde seem set, and everything points to Güler taking the reins of the team from the back, but Xabi Alonso wants to give Dani Ceballos confidence at the start of the league, so he is also an option to consider.
The only players who seem certain to start, although there could be surprises, are Courtois, Huijsen, Tchouaméni, Valverde, Vinicius, and Mbappé. The rest of the players will have to fight for a place in Xabi Alonso’s starting eleven.
All these doubts will be resolved on Tuesday, although Xabi Alonso may already have decided on his starting eleven, which would be as follows.
Real Madrid’s starting eleven against WSG Tirol
- Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois
- Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Álvaro Carreras, Dean Huijsen, and Antonio Rudiger
- Midfielders: Aurélien Tchouaméni, Fede Valverde, Arda Güler
- Forwards: Vinicius Jr, Kylian Mbappé, and Gonzalo