Real Madrid are forging a new identity under Xabi Alonso with each match they play at the FIFA Club World Cup.
After bidding farewell to Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid welcomed Alonso back to the Spanish capital to take over his former club. The Spaniard only had a few weeks with his new team before he made his debut on the touchline in the United States this summer.
Despite opening the Club World Cup with a 1–1 draw against Al Hilal, Real Madrid went on to secure victories over Pachuca and RB Salzburg, finishing atop Group H. Along the way, Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold made their highly anticipated debuts, Real Madrid Castilla products got their chance to shine and the team experimented with a new system.
Watch the FIFA Club World Cup live and on-demand here
Here’s three things Alonso will have already learned in his short tenure in charge of the biggest club in the world.
Gonzalo García Is the Spark Real Madrid Desperately Missed Last Season
Real Madrid spent so much of their 2024–25 campaign missing an innate goalscorer off the bench. After the departure of Joselu, the team no longer had a natural No. 9 capable of giving the team a spark when Kylian Mbappé and co. struggled to find success.
The whole time, though, Gonzalo García was at Real Madrid Castilla, waiting for a true opportunity to break into the first team. Although he made six appearances under Ancelotti, the Spaniard only logged 62 minutes last season.
Now with Alonso in charge, the 21-year-old has two goals and an assist in his last three appearances. Not only does he have speed, great positioning and quality finishing, but he also has an admirable work-rate. García routinely tracked back for Vinícius Júnior on the left wing and helped lead the front line in pressing.
García will see his minutes dwindle once Mbappé returns to the team, but he more-than proved he is ready for a permanent place in Alonso’s squad for the 2025–26 season.
Real Madrid Are Capable of Playing With a Back Three
Seeing Real Madrid play with a back three is almost unheard of, yet Alonso deployed the new system just three matches into his tenure. The new manager rolled out a 3-5-2 against Salzburg and Los Blancos delivered the best performance of their Club World Cup campaign.
Huijsen, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Antonio Rüdiger manned Real Madrid’s defense while Fran García and Alexander-Arnold played as wing-backs along either side of the pitch. The team completely controlled the game, bagged three goals and securing their first clean sheet of the tournament. Alexander-Arnold also delivered his best performance in a white shirt, creating the most chances and completing the most tackles in the match.
After the match, Alonso reflected on the new formation: “The players are intelligent enough to know the positives and negatives of this system. It has given us stability, maturity, and control of the game.
“It gives you a three against two with Huijsen and Rüdiger wide and space in between with Jude [Bellingham] and Arda [Güler]. I like that flexibility so I can use it when needed.”
Bellingham, indeed, played spectacular as a central midfielder. The England international set-up Vinícius Júnior’s opening goal, misplaced just five passes and even had a goal line clearance to keep Real Madrid’s clean sheet.
It remains to be seen if Real Madrid will fully switch to a back three moving forward, but Alonso now knows his team can excel in his favored system.
Real Madrid Are Still a Work in Progress
Despite finishing atop of Group H, Real Madrid cannot complete a remarkable turn around in just three matches under Alonso. There are still weaknesses in the team and bad habits that must be broken if Los Blancos want to make a deep run in the Club World Cup.
The glaring issue once again comes down to Real Madrid’s pressing. Although Alonso praised the team’s defensive “sacrifice” after their victory over Salzburg, he still admitted there is “a long way to go” moving forward.
Real Madrid spent so much of last season relying on their superstars to bail them out of games that should have never been close. The team was unbalanced, conceded long spells of possession to their opposition and did little to win the ball back. They also showed an extreme reluctance to cover ground.
Vinícius Júnior and Mbappé came under fire the most for the latter. The Brazilian has shown positive signs without the ball under Alonso, but he still had Gonzalo García tracking back in his place at times. Question marks also surround Mbappé, who has yet to make his first appearance under Alonso.
The new boss needs the Pichichi Trophy and European Golden Boot winner to buy into his tactics or else Real Madrid will never reach the heights needed to take down the likes of Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain this summer.
We may earn a commission if you buy something via a link in this article.
READ THE LATEST REAL MADRID NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Three Things Xabi Alonso Will Have Learned From Real Madrid’s Club World Cup Group Stage.