A Real Madrid sized Conundrum for Xabi Alonso
- Christian Paris
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
PSG’s thumping FIFA Club World Cup semi-final win over Real Madrid on Wednesday may have marked the start of a new era of European dominance, though for Xabi Alonso it was a resounding reminder of the work that needs to be done.
There has already been doubts surrounding how the Spaniard would configure a squad full of superstars and frankly egos. Even a manager of Carlo Ancelotti’s stature and experience struggled to mesh a forward line that already included Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham did have a stellar first season in the Spanish capital, whilst the minor addition of Kylian Mbappe last summer gave the Italian a conundrum to say the least.
Mbappe’s long-desired move to the Santiago Bernabéu was finally realised, and despite criticism of his general play, the Frenchman scored 31 LaLiga goals to clinch the Pichichi ahead of Robert Lewandowski, whilst finding the net a total of 44 times meant he had scored the most goals in a debut season in Real Madrid’s history.
It was elsewhere meanwhile that saw what on paper looked to be an unstoppable forward line, become an attack struggling for cohesion and understanding. Mbappe’s tendency to drift out to the left saw he and Vinicius battle for territory on that side at times, whilst the Brazilian despite maintaining good numbers faltered to consistently maintain his sparkling level.
Bellingham perhaps expectedly saw his output have a natural drop following what was a sublime first campaign in the famous white strip, whilst Rodrygo’s future seems entirely uncertain after a testing end to 24/25 .
What was once Ancelotti’s problem has now become Alonso’s Real Madrid sized conundrum: let’s take a dive into the fallout pre and post a disappointing Club World Cup, but moreover, how Alonso can shape the modern day Galacticos.
Carlo Ancelotti's Departure was Expected but remains Significant
The former AC Milan and Chelsea boss’ move to become Brazil next manager was widely anticipated and reported and finally announced even before the end of the domestic 24/25 campaign with Real Madrid.
Ancelotti’s illustrious career has seen two stints at the Bernabéu, two iterations to add to the unrivalled success of Los Blancos, the first to secure the historic La Decima in 2014 when they clinched their tenth UEFA Champions League title in Lisbon, not to mention against city rivals Atletico Madrid.
A shorter spell was followed by a longer one when he returned in 2021. In the meantime, the Italian made stops all around Europe, all in relatively brief stints, whilst Real Madrid had struggled to sustain their dominance after they had won three consecutive European titles under Zinedine Zidane from 2016-18.
Ancelotti returned and got his men firing in 21/22. They had missed out in LaLiga the season prior under Zidane, whilst the Italian promptly returned Los Blancos to the summit of Spanish football, with the sublime partnership of Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr leading the way.
Those two meanwhile were even more potent in Europe, firing Real to their first Champions League triumph since 2018 after a three-year period of disappointment that included consecutive Round of 16 exits, before a semi-final appearance in 2021 that spurred them on to victory under Ancelotti the following campaign.
Despite a second Spanish league trophy to add to the collection, and a record fifteenth Champions League win in 2024, it has been since problems began to arise.
Real Madrid’s recruitment under Ancelotti had perhaps gone unnoticed, but it was certainly intelligent. By no means was it without spending, but they had already made smart investments in Rodrygo and Eder Militao, and made terrific business on the outgoings of Achraf Hakimi and Mateo Kovacic.
Out went the old guard in Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Casemiro, Gareth Bale and Marcelo, whilst hefty sums to bring in three of the top midfield talents in world football in Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Bellingham who all helped a transition towards a new wave of success.
Ancelotti meanwhile encountered problems in his final season. Vinicius had certainly found his superstar rhythm on that left side, whilst their run to the Champions League in 23/24 saw the Brazilian take centre stage alongside Bellingham, with Benzema having departed.
Rodrygo had started to shine on the opposite flank, though it had always felt there was more to give, or even more to extract out of the 24-year-old, though the long-anticipated arrival of Mbappe in 2024 certainly threw a hefty spanner in the works.
The Frenchman had been frankly frightening at PSG, with his versatility showing playing across the front three positions in different periods, though his preference to shift out to the left, notably as he did for the French national side raised questions as to how it would work with Vinicius already having stamped his mark on that side.
Herein lies a big conundrum. Not the only one, but at first for Ancelotti, whose brilliance even was left dumbfounded trying to forge a path for Mbappe and co to thrive in the final third, though now at the hands of Alonso, it also begs the question what the impact of Ancelotti’s absence may have on this group, or whether it will at all.
So far, Alonso looks to have his work cut out.
Xabi has gone Head First into the Cauldron at Real
Ancelotti’s departure required decisive work from Madrid to bring in the heir to the throne. Alonso’s mightily impressive work at Bayer Leverkusen, including an invincible Bundesliga triumph to thwart the ongoing dominance of Bayern Munich in Germany in 2023/24 looked to tick all the boxes for President Florentino Perez.
A nuanced and modern style a highlight of Alonso’s managerial career thus far, his ability to adapt and transform his team on paper represented exciting times ahead at the Bernabéu, but we all know football is never that simple.
He ultimately has been forced to renovate his style, at least for these initial periods. His want for a high intensity pressing side has seen progress but will require more work from the front as the Spaniard has entered a cauldron with a heat that he would not have felt before, even in his playing days at Real.
His ability to gently fold in the incomings of Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold, in an area Real certainly needed improvement in is promising, though conceding two to Dortmund in the Quarters, then suffering a resounding 4-0 defeat to European champions PSG leaves questions defensively.
The 3-0 loss to Arsenal in their Champions League Quarter-final last season and notably conceding four to Barcelona in both league Clasicos leaves a defensive unit with major restructuring to do.
Huijsen’s immense quality, even at just 20 should certainly help, Militao’s return from a frustrating injury-stricken period will do the same no doubt, though it is unclear as to how long it will take for the Brazilian defender to get back up to speed after lengthy spells out.
Alexander-Arnold will look to help transition smoothly on from long-standing right back Dani Carvajal who is 33, as is David Alaba, Lucas Vazquez is 34, and Antonio Rudiger is 32.
Academy graduate Raul Asencio has made a meteoric rise through the ranks, making 46 appearances last season, though he will need time to develop. It appears the dilemmas will continue to pile on for Alonso, whilst he surely knew what he was walking into when he took the job. At the end of the day, it’s Real Madrid.
The Club World Cup has certainly given Alonso the chance to get to work early, no matter what the consequences prove to be of such an extension to an already gruelling season.
It has given him the opportunity to get to know his squad, the personalities and who will show their capabilities to adapt their own traits and show Alonso of their versatility.
A mammoth sized Luka Modric hole will now require the likes of Tchouameni and Camavinga to take on more responsibility, Bellingham and Federico Valverde have already shown their leadership qualities and will need to do so now that they have in essence been left the reigns in midfield.
Now the time for a swift recovery before the ‘real’ beginning, where the Club World Cup has provided an outlet to kick things off, Alonso must now gear all his methods and efforts towards the one thing that has never waned at Real Madrid. Winning.
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