In perhaps one of the worst kept secrets in world football, Xabi Alonso was unveiled as the new Real Madrid manager last month.
On paper, the Spaniard was the standout candidate. Carlo Ancelotti enjoyed plenty of success with Los Blancos, especially during his second stint, but the 2024/25 campaign was a disappointment.
Alonso had emerged as one of the finest young coaches on the continent throughout his time in charge of Bayer Leverkusen. Not only did he lead the club to their first ever Bundesliga title – doing so unbeaten – but he also won the DFB Pokal and reached the Europa League final.
This season, Leverkusen may have finished trophyless, but Alonso’s ideology was clearly what impressed Florentino Pérez the most.
His first test comes at the inaugural Club World Cup in America over the next few weeks.
What to expect from Alonso’s Real Madrid at the Club World Cup
First and foremost, Alonso wont be taking the competition lightly. With a total prize fund of around $1bn on offer to all 32 clubs taking part, the winners will receive around $125m.
While some clubs may be using the tournament as a glorified pre-season, going as far as possible is expected by all at Real Madrid.
Trent Alexander-Arnold was officially announced as a Madrid player last week, paying Liverpool £10m so that he would be available early for the Club World Cup.
Given Alonso’s success with attacking full-backs such as Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo at Leverkusen, the Englishman will fit into Alonso’s tactical system seamlessly.
Alonso has picked a strong squad for the tournament, including the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, Vinícius Júnior and Endrick, despite their national team involvement recently.
This signifies that the manager is not resting on his laurels as he aims to get a trophy under his belt as soon as possible.
Starting off, Los Blancos take on Al-Hilal, RB Salzburg and Pachuca in Group H and they really couldn’t have asked for a better draw.
Alonso will be able to ease his team into the tournament without too many taxing games across the first week or so and it will give the former Madrid midfielder a chance to experiment with his starting XI.
At Leverkusen, he tended to utilise a 3-4-2-1 system throughout his time in charge. Two attacking midfielders operating behind a lone striker offered plenty through the middle of the pitch.
Elsewhere, two wing-backs supported the rest of the midfield and this was a job that Frimpong and Grimaldo carried out exceptionally well.
At Madrid, however, this could change into a 3-4-1-2 due to the players at his disposal. One thing Ancelotti struggled with was incorporating both Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior into the same side.
Too many cooks spoil the broth as the old saying goes and this was an issue last term. Trying to shoehorn the aforementioned two, along with Rodrygo and Arda Güler was nigh on impossible.
Therefore, Alonso will likely deploy Mbappé and Vinícius as his front two, unleashing a potentially lethal partnership in the process.
This may well be on show over the coming weeks in America as the manager seeks to test out this system in the relatively stress free environment of the group stages.
Xabi Alonso must get the best out of his star players
The real test for Alonso will be how he begins the season in La Liga and the Champions League in a couple of months time.
Obviously, victory across the Atlantic would be a major confidence boost, but after the tournament, Jude Bellingham is set to undergo shoulder surgery, ruling him out for a couple of months at least.
Last season saw a drop off in his performances compared to the campaign before. Indeed, he scored ten fewer league goals than in 2023/24, while Bellingham also failed to rank in the top 40% for chances created (1.52) per 90 and in the top 30% for shots (2.24) per 90 in LaLiga.
If Alonso does go ahead with his preferred tactical system, the Englishman could play just behind the front two. Of course, the supporters wouldn’t see this until a few months into the season, but it is a tantalising prospect.
Mbappé may have scored 43 goals across 56 games in his debut season with Madrid, yet the club failed to win either LaLiga or the Champions League.
The Galactico era between 2000 and 2007 saw Madrid amass the best collection of players, yet they were rarely the best team. Did Mbappé’s presence hinder the team more often than not last season?
Both Mbappé and Vinícius see the left-wing as their best position, which often proved problematic last term. The Frenchman would tend to gravitate out wide, despite operating in a more central role.
There was nothing wrong with his statistics. indeed, the former PSG star ranked in the top 3% for shots (4.97) per 90 and in the top 10% for chances created (1.57) per 90 in the top flight last season.
Getting the best out of Bellingham and Mbappé next season will determine whether Alonso is a success at Madrid.
The 43-year-old wont be judged properly until 2025/26 is underway. But if he can get his team to play dynamic, exciting football at the Club World Cup, perhaps even winning the tournament, then expectations will certainly rise.
Alonso is ready to usher in a new era at the Bernabéu. One that could take the club back to the summit of European football.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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