Sport
Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid Revolution Is Already Taking Shape
Xabi Alonso surely wishes he was remoulding Real Madrid behind the closed doors of pre-season. Instead, Los Blancos’ new manager is having to do his work under the spotlight of the Club World Cup. Alonso has had no choice but to build the plane while flying it, but Real Madrid are starting to soar with the Spaniard at the helm.
While Real Madrid started their Club World Cup campaign slowly, drawing 1-1 against Al-Hilal in a game they could have lost, they have improved with every match they have played at the tournament. Indeed, the Spanish giants have grown over the course of the summer and could now get their hands on silverware.
Alonso has already implemented many of the ideas that made him so successful at Bayer Leverkusen. Most notably, he has used a 3-4-3 formation with Fran Garcia and Trent Alexander-Arnold pushed high and wide as wing backs. The pair combined for a goal against Borussia Dortmund and have been extremely prominent in their performances at the Club World Cup.
In the first game against Al-Hilal, Alexander-Arnold was pushed into the centre of the pitch on the ball. However, the Englishman was generally uncomfortable with having to carry possession and was sluggish as a rhythm builder. Since then, Alonso has used Alexander-Arnold out wide where he can get deliveries into the box.
Arda Guler is another player whose role has been redefined in a very short period by Alonso. Initially deployed as a wide attacker, the Turkish youngster has been used as a deep-lying playmaker in games against Pachuca, Red Bull Salzburg, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund, and to great effect.
Indeed, Guler has played like the natural heir to Luka Modric in his matches for Real Madrid at the Club World Cup, giving his team control and creativity in the centre of the pitch. In the space of just a few games, Alonso has completely changed how Guler is being viewed. It could prove to be a turning point in his career.
Gonzalo Garcia has been one of the breakout stars of the Club World Cup after Alonso fast-tracked the young forward into the Real Madrid lineup. Kylian Mbappe’s illness opened the door for Garcia to start, but the 21-year-old has more than made the most of his opportunity, scoring four goals in five games.
With Mbappe available again and fit enough to feature, Alonso decided to start Garcia once more in the quarter-final against Dortmund and was rewarded for his faith in the youngster who extended his scoring streak. Alonso will face the same dilemma for Wednesday’s semi-final against PSG. There’s no guarantee Mbappe will come back into the team.
Not everything has worked for Alonso in the early days of his Real Madrid tenure. Aurelien Tchouameni has been used as a central defender in a back three, but has struggled to find the right balance between standing off and pressuring opponents when they have the ball. Against Dortmund, Alonso ultimately pushed Tchouameni back into midfield where he was more comfortable.
Dean Huijsen will miss Wednesday’s final four meeting with PSG following his late red card against Dortmund. It’s unclear how Alonso will account for the loss of the former Bournemouth defender’s passing out from the back and so this could change the approach Real Madrid use against the European champions.
Nonetheless, Alonso has changed Real Madrid’s identity more quickly than anyone could have imagined when he took over just over a month ago. The Spanish giants are already playing like an Alonso team. Club World Cup glory would indicate Real Madrid are heading in the right direction again.
