3/7/2025–|Last update: 18:54 (Mecca time)
Xabi Alonso quickly convinced the conservative and skeptics after he took over Real Madrid just a few days before the start of the Club World Cup, and he succeeded in leading the quarter -finals of the tournament.
Royal Club President Florentino Perez opposed his assumption of the team’s responsibility in the World Cup for the limited time to prepare, in a championship that was supposed to save his disappointing season locally and continental.
But Xabi achieved three victories and one draw, and reached the quarter -finals of the Club World Cup, and the results seem important to a coach who took over nine days before the first match, and the entire team attended three days before its first match against Al -Hilal.
From doubt to optimism
Perez was not enthusiastic about Xabi’s responsibility for the team so quickly, and it was preferable for former coach Carlo Ancelotti to do so, but the Italian was also in his hurry to go to Brazil and manage his first two World Cup qualifiers as the Cilico coach.
Despite these initial reservations, Alonso was appointed as a new coach for Real Madrid on May 25, 2025 to succeed Achiller. It appears that the general mood in the Bernabeu towards it has now changed. There is an increasing belief that the team is consistent with.
Recent reports indicate that Alonso adopts the challenge, and has quickly instilled a sense of goal and direction. His confirmation was reported on the importance of “defensive hardness and discipline” and the necessity of “doing a lot with a little” given the narrow time of preparation.
Alonso reached a bag full of ideas and a completely different spherical program from the program that the Italian coach follows.
Alonso is a coach who encourages modern pressure -based football, three central defenders and close lines, and a group action in defense and attack. They are many concepts that are difficult to plant in a team that suffers from a defensive disorder.
Xabi is taking advantage of his contract with the Dean Hoisen and Tennet Alexander-Arnold to occupy two centers who were in urgent need of a change, while Arda Goller is using an alternative.
On the other hand, he replaced Rodrigo, Lucas Vasquez and Raul Asensio. The latter was replaced by fatal mistakes that threatened Al -Hilal and Pushka matches, while Gonzalo Garcia chose to cover the absence of Killian Mbappe.
Alonso also found in Aurelin Xamini the ability to play with three central defenders, and to take advantage of the best version of Fran Garcia, whose capabilities are suitable for his needs in the left wing.
The Spanish coach succeeded in improving Federico Valverde’s performance by bringing him closer to the opponent’s penalty area, at a time when Venice Junior is making unremitting efforts in recent matches to restore his best levels.
Success factors:
- Alonso immediate effect: Despite the short time frame, it appears to apply his tactical ideas and achieve positive results.
- Championship bets: While it was initially a “problem” due to pressure, the Club World Cup is now an important opportunity to win titles and build momentum for the next season.
- The squad: Even with the limited preparation, the talents available to Real Madrid, including the possible return of Killian Mbappe, gives Alonso strong tools to work with it.
It is clear that what it seemed to be a “dilemma” (a difficult or unpleasant mission) has quickly turned into a true source of enthusiasm and ambition for Alonso and Real Madrid as they are playing this prestigious tournament.