 "Real Madrid: How Xabi Alonso will tactically change and improve the Spanish giants")
It’s tough being a manager at Real Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti won the Champions League and the La Liga with the Spanish team last season, but they have decided to move on from him after failing to win either of the two in the ongoing season.
Real are already out of the Champions League. They lost to Arsenal in the quarter-finals and La Liga leaders Barcelona are ahead of them by seven points and only three games left.
Real are now set to appoint former midfielder Xabi Alonso as their new manager, while Ancelotti joining the Brazilian national team is almost a certainty .
Alonso had been Bayer Leverkusen’s coach in the Bundesliga since October 2022. Under the Spaniard, Leverkusen won the Bundesliga title for the first time in 2023-24.
At Leverkusen, Alonso also won the 2023-24 DFB Cup and the 2024 Supercup besides the Bundesliga while setting the European record for consecutive unbeaten competitive games (51).
At Real Madrid, Alonso will be expected to achieve similar and more success.
However, for that to be achieved, Alonso will need to design a system that will help the team make the best of Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe in the same team. Vinicius and Mbappe are two of the best footballers in the world.
Vinicius was named The Best FIFA Men’s Player for 2024, while 2018 World Cup winner Mbappe has scored 27 goals in La Liga in his debut season. Yet, the two have rarely clicked together—a combination that could tear apart any team if they find their rhythm.
Alonso made his name in Germany with his preferred 5-3-2/3-5-2 system, which will be different than a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-3 that Ancelotti uses. However, you implement this change and achieve the desired results, Alonso will need some serious groundwork to be done.
Here are three areas we feel Alonso will have to strengthen.
Central defenders
The first and foremost focus will be on lining up three solid defenders together who can allow the wingbacks to play a high-tempo game. These defenders will not only thwart the opposition’s dangers, but they will also need to be good ball players to initiate the attack from the back.
Antonio Rudiger, Raúl Asencio and Eder Militao are three players who can fill this role, but for backups, Real may move to the market.
Double pivot
Alonso would also like to place two midfielders above these three defenders to work as the link between the attack and defence, while also blocking the spaces for the opposition. You need dynamic players who are good runners as well.
Aurélien Tchouaméni and Eduardo Camavinga can do this job but Real also have options in Federico Valverde, Arda Guler and Dani Ceballos. Whether they will move for Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez is still not clear.
Wide fullbacks on the prowl
Alonso’s wingbacks are expected to be the supply line. Trent Alexander-Arnold is joining them from Liverpool, but a new player on the left is also expected. With this strategy, Alonso would want to stretch teams and hit them on counterattacks.
A 5-3-2/3-5-2 system will also allow him to play Vinicius and Mbappe upfront, which could finally allow the two stars to click together. If that happens, the opponents are sure to have nightmares.
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