Xabi Alonso shaping new Real Madrid on Liverpool return

MADRID – Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso returns to Anfield to face his former side Liverpool in the Champions League on Nov 4 after a nearly immaculate start to life in the Spanish capital.

While Premier League giants Liverpool have just

two wins in their last eight games,

Alonso’s Real are on a high, transformed from last season and improving weekly under the Basque tactician.

The 15-time European champions

beat Clasico rivals Barcelona

on Oct 26 in La Liga and aim to flex their muscles in another high-profile match against Arne Slot’s Liverpool.

Elegant on the ball, Alonso was the brains of Liverpool’s midfield from 2004 to 2009. He was key to the 2005 Champions League triumph in Istanbul and won the FA Cup among other silverware before continuing his playing career at Real and Bayern Munich.

Upon returning to the Santiago Bernabeu as coach, he has got off to a great start, with Real winning 13 of their 14 matches this season.

Their only defeat this season came in a 5-2 derby humiliation by Atletico Madrid in September and Alonso’s side have progressed rapidly since.

His predecessor Carlo Ancelotti found it hard to make his star-studded attack press opponents, but Alonso’s side have been diligent. With greater intensity without the ball, they are more sturdy.

“To win trophies you have to defend well, obtaining many clean sheets,” said Alonso, as Real secured their seventh shut-out of the season in a 4-0 rout of Valencia on Nov 1.

Spanish newspaper Marca wrote Madrid have “forged a new identity” and now “dominate, suffocate and subdue their opponents” – a far cry from the lethargy of Ancelotti’s final season.

The Italian could not bring himself to drop Rodrygo even though playing him with Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham made Los Blancos top heavy.

Now no team in Europe has more ball recoveries in the final third than Alonso’s Real.

Alonso has also shown his willingness to make tactical shifts during games and between matches, whereas Ancelotti’s side were more predictable.

The Spaniard decided his team will train before heading to Merseyside, so Liverpool get no hints to how he will approach the match.

“It’s my decision (not to train at Anfield), we prefer to do it at home, in our space, so they don’t put 200 cameras on us,” said Alonso.

Alonso has also got the best out of his team’s star players, with perhaps one exception.

Winger Vinicius showed his frustration with his coach publicly during the Clasico, substituted and storming off in a fit of histrionics.

The Brazilian made a public apology to the fans and the club, without mentioning his coach, although Alonso said the matter was resolved.

Vinicius impressed against Valencia despite missing a penalty, and Alonso’s cautious handling may be the right way to keep the forward as a useful asset this season.

Mbappe is in sensational form, continuing his resurgence from the second half of last season.

The French forward, who missed a penalty last season at Anfield as Real lost 2-0, has 18 goals across all competitions already this season while adding pressing to his game at the behest of Alonso.

Another revitalised player is England international Jude Bellingham. With goals against Barcelona, Juventus and Valencia in the past fortnight, the midfielder is becoming key to Alonso’s side.

Following shoulder surgery in the summer to fix a long-running problem, Alonso brought Bellingham back for his first start against Atletico as Los Blancos crumbled.

The coach recognised his error in rushing the Englishman back, and benched him for the next two games until he was ready to shine.

Alonso is also fashioning Turkish playmaker Arda Guler into a midfielder that can supplant the departures of stalwarts Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.

The Spaniard wants to make his Anfield return an unhappy one for the hosts and prove his Real machine can compete for major silverware again as they continue to fit his mould.

Another former Red returning to Liverpool is Trent Alexander-Arnold, who looks set to receive a frosty reception after running down his contract to leave his boyhood club at the end of last season.

Alexander-Arnold said he had “mixed emotions” over his return and that he would not celebrate if he scored.

The 27-year-old said it was up to the fans how they react, adding that he will “always love the club”.

“No matter what, my feelings won’t change towards Liverpool,” he told Amazon Prime.

“I’ve got memories there that will last me a lifetime and, no matter how I’m received, that won’t change.”

But the right-back has not featured for Los Blancos since suffering a hamstring injury in their Champions League opener against Marseille on Sept 16.

Since his return to fitness, and in the absence also of the injured Dani Carvajal, Alonso has preferred midfielder Federico Valverde at right-back.

In other Champions League action on Nov 4, Bayern’s barnstorming start to the season faces an acid test when they face defending champions Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes.

Following a 3-0 win over Leverkusen on Nov 1, Vincent Kompany’s side have registered their 15th win from 15 matches in all competitions this campaign, eclipsing AC Milan’s 1992-93 record for the best start to a season in Europe’s top five leagues.

Attackers Harry Kane, Luis Diaz and Michael Olise came on only for the last 30 minutes in the win over Leverkusen, who lost 7-2 to PSG on Oct 22.

Kane’s former side Tottenham Hotspur will hope to reverse their slump at home when they host Copenhagen, while Premier League leaders Arsenal will be seeking a 10th consecutive win in all competitions at Slavia Prague. AFP