First impressions of Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid

It’s no secret that Xabi Alonso’s preference was to take charge of Real Madrid after the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, rather than before it. To some extent, his team’s opening two games at the tournament have highlighted why that might have been the case.

Still dealing with a backlog of injuries following a busy end to the domestic season, Alonso has only got a limited number of options in some positions, and he’s had relatively little time to work with the players that are currently fit.

That has made it difficult for the former Bayer Leverkusen boss to really stamp his authority on this squad from day one. Throw in the fatigue that many of his players are most likely feeling at the end of a long season, and the scorching heat that sweeps across the US at this time of year, and it’s perhaps not surprising that Los Blancos have not exactly made a flying start to the tournament.

Frustrated by Al Hilal in their opening game which ended 1-1, there was briefly genuine concern that they might not even make it out of the group when Raul Asencio was sent off just seven minutes into their second game against Pachuca.

Asencio’s teammates ultimately dug deep and sealed a 3-1 win against the Mexicans, but not without a number of scares with Pachuca firing in 25 shots across the 90 minutes, with Thibaut Courtois needed to make 10 saves.

A back four, for now at least

One of the big questions heading into the Xabi Alonso reign was whether we’d see a continuation of the back four that has been Real Madrid’s default defensive set-up for many years, or a switch to the back three favoured by Alonso in his previous job.

The answer, for now at least, is a back four, although it’s too early to assume that will necessarily be the case in August. With Antonio Rudiger only just returning to fitness, and Eder Militao, Dani Carvajal and David Alaba still out injured, Alonso simply doesn’t have the numbers to feel confident about starting with an extra centre-back at this tournament, even if that is his long-term vision.

That situation has been made worse by two concerning performances from Asencio who will now serve a Club World Cup suspension, meaning Rudiger is likely to return to the starting lineup for the final group game against Salzburg, alongside new signing Dean Huijsen.

The completion of a generational shift

There was something of a generational shift ongoing at Real Madrid throughout Carlo Ancelotti’s second spell, with most of the remaining players from the side that won three Champions League titles in a row under Zinedine Zidane in the late 2010s departing, to make way for younger players.

However, Ancelotti still frequently utilised the likes of Luka Modric and Lucas Vazquez right up until the end of the 2024/25 LaLiga season. With those two players set to depart next month and only peripheral figures at this tournament so far, and with Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold on board and already in the team, it feels like that generational shift is now nearing completion.

Given the likes of Nacho, Toni Kroos and Karim Benzema have also left in the last two years, the Real Madrid squad that starts the 2025/26 campaign will be barely recognisable from that of Zidane’s successful first spell. Alonso’s core group of players will instead mostly consist of a fresh generation of players in their early to mid 20s, which should leave the Basque coach well placed to construct a team that can compete on all fronts over the next few years.

Gonzalo Garcia taking his chance

With Kylian Mbappe dealing with a nasty bout of gastroenteritis which left him needing hospital treatment, and Endrick still sidelined due to injury, Alonso has placed his faith in youngster Gonzalo Garcia up front.

Garcia’s performances in the opening two games have been one of the main positives from a Real Madrid perspective so far at this tournament. Fresh from a 25-goal season with Castilla in the Spanish tier, the 21-year-old has started both matches and was a scorer in Real Madrid’s opening draw against Al Hilal.

As well as providing an obvious goal threat, with six shots against the Saudi team, Garcia set up a goal in the win over Pachuca and was described as “a striker who can make references” by his boss.

Mbappe should be back in time for the knockout stage, so the youngster is likely to be relegated to the bench, but he should get more minutes at this tournament and he’ll be eager to continue staking his case for a permanent promotion to the senior set-up ahead of next season.