Real Madrid’s Xabi Alonso learns harsh lessons as La Liga debut looms

MADRID – The long-awaited arrival of coach Xabi Alonso was cheerfully celebrated by Real Madrid fans in May, as the former club great came with high expectations following his trophy-laden stint at Bayer Leverkusen after Carlo Ancelotti headed to Brazil.

But Alonso’s honeymoon period came to a jarring halt with a 4-0 thrashing by Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup semi-finals, leaving him scrambling to fix tactical blunders while figuring out how to stop Barcelona’s attacking juggernaut ahead of their Spanish La Liga opener at home to Osasuna on Aug 19.

The new coach had enjoyed a promising start to his tenure, taking his team unbeaten to the last four of the Fifa tournament despite missing ill striker Kylian Mbappe for most of the tournament.

But the Spaniard’s decision to abandon the five-man defence that had served Real so well until that point in the tournament proved disastrous against PSG’s lethal transitions.

The tactical switch – made to accommodate a recovered Mbappe alongside academy sensation Gonzalo Garcia up front – left Real totally exposed and taught Alonso a painful lesson less than a month after the 43-year-old was welcomed to Madrid.

Alonso initially impressed by fielding a five-man defence for the first time in over 25 years at Real, evoking memories of Vicente del Bosque’s 2000 Champions League-winning side.

The system, featuring three centre-backs and aggressive wing-backs, marked a significant departure from the traditional 4-3-3 formation and appeared to address Real’s defensive frailties from a disappointing, trophy-less 2024-25 campaign.

Fixing those defensive problems was crucial after Real conceded 16 goals in four consecutive losses to Barca. Now Alonso must decide whether to revert to the system that worked before the PSG debacle and during his Leverkusen stint, when he guided them to a first Bundesliga title in 2023-24.

He will have new weapons at his disposal, including Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool and 20-year-old Spain centre-back Dean Huijsen, who arrived from Bournemouth after Real activated his £50 million (S$86.5 million) release clause.

The club also signed Spanish left-back Alvaro Carreras from Benfica for €50 million (S$74.9 million). Another conundrum comes in attack, where Mbappe and Vinicius Jr have still to show their true potential playing together.

Academy forward Gonzalo, meanwhile, has gone from unknown to fan favourite after his four-goal Club World Cup showing, potentially displacing established, big-name signings like Rodrygo, Endrick and Brahim Diaz.

Keeping all of his players happy will be a challenge for Alonso, as well as figuring out how to live without England maestro Jude Bellingham, who is expected to miss several weeks after surgery in mid-July on a long-standing shoulder issue. REUTERS