Xabi Alonso steps into the Real Madrid dugout for the first time at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, tasked with shaping the club’s future. His philosophy of structured freedom could well be the blueprint for another era of dominance at the Bernabéu.
Alonso’s playing career was a masterclass in perfect timing.
He always seemed to arrive precisely where football’s biggest moments were unfolding. First came Liverpool’s ‘Miracle of Istanbul,’ followed by a move to Real Madrid just in time for the Lisbon triumph that ignited their Champions League dynasty. Then to Bayern Munich, coinciding perfectly with Pep Guardiola’s tactical revolution in the Bundesliga.
From San Sebastián to Liverpool, Madrid to Munich, Alonso moved like a man with a sixth sense for where football history would next be written. He collected trophies as effortlessly as a seasoned traveler collecting stamps, always stepping forward—or at worst, sideways—but never down. He was, in many ways, football’s version of the Instagram traveler who somehow always finds the perfect sunset.
Even his retirement came with a sense of style most couldn’t hope to match: “Lived it, loved it. Farewell beautiful game.”
Simple, understated—but cinematic.
So it’s no surprise that he’s now at Real Madrid, precisely when they need him most. The club has been gliding through a post-Galácticos afterglow with Carlo Ancelotti playing the role of steady-handed caretaker. Under the Italian, trophies kept arriving, but a cohesive footballing identity often felt missing.
It would be both unfair and deeply wrong to say Ancelotti was just a vibes merchant. His two spells in charge brought 15 trophies, making him one of the most decorated coaches in the club’s illustrious history.
But longevity at Real Madrid requires more than winning—it demands knowing exactly when to push and when to hold back. And Ancelotti’s greatest gift was always reading the room.
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Why Alonso Feels Like Madrid’s Perfect Fit
Madrid has always been a club caught between two extremes—on one side, the disciplinarians with meticulous tactical plans; on the other, former players in tailored suits promising continuity, heritage, and good vibes. The last time the club leaned towards the former was in late 2020, when Antonio Conte emerged as a managerial candidate. That notion didn’t last long—Sergio Ramos shut it down with one pointed remark: “You don’t impose respect, you have to earn it.” He followed up by saying, “In the end, knowing how to manage the dressing room is more important than what the manager knows.”
Conte, unsurprisingly, never got the call.
This has always been Madrid’s dilemma. Too much structure, and the players revolt. Too little, and you’re left relying on chaotic comebacks and pure star quality to see you through. The club has bounced between extremes—Zinedine Zidane and Santiago Solari as polished figureheads more than tactical architects; Julen Lopetegui and Rafa Benítez as textbook managers who struggled to connect with the squad.
Alonso represents something different. He brings both credibility and clarity. The trophies, the elite experience, and—most importantly—a clear tactical identity. His stints with Real Sociedad B and Bayer Leverkusen have shown that he’s capable of building teams with defined styles. Crucially, though, he also commands respect.
“You can tell he was a player because he understands them and gives them confidence,” Bayer Leverkusen’s Alejandro Grimaldo told Mundo Maldini. “But he also likes discipline. It’s sometimes hard to transmit your ideas to the players but he does it really well so that everyone knows what to do. They do it with confidence along with a little bit of freedom so they can enjoy themselves.”
By bringing Alonso in, Real Madrid are signaling that the era of managing by aura and improvisation is over. The club has chosen long-term structure over short-term vibes. The aim now is sustainable, intentional football—not just miracles in stoppage time.
Alonso’s First Challenge is Turning Madrid’s Fragile Defence into a Disciplined Unit
Xabi Alonso’s immediate priority at Real Madrid will be to address the glaring defensive frailties. Despite their reputation, Madrid defended last season as if allergic to structure and discipline.
Among the 24 sides that reached the Champions League knockout stages, Madrid ranked a dismal 21st for high turnovers, managing just 6.2 per game. They also averaged 1.95 expected goals on target against—only Brest and Feyenoord posted worse numbers.
While they finished close to Barcelona in La Liga on paper, the numbers painted a bleaker picture. Madrid didn’t win a single one of their four meetings with their arch-rivals, conceding 16 goals, scoring just 7, and ending with a -4.3 expected goals difference. Strip away the hype, and it hardly resembled a rivalry.
Their lack of defensive intensity was further exposed in the Champions League. In the first leg against Arsenal, Madrid managed only 36 high-intensity pressures in the final third—the joint-lowest total across 45 knockout-stage games, tied with Arsenal’s own sluggish outing versus PSG.
Enter Alonso. His preferred system, often built around a back three, offers solutions to several of Real Madrid’s long-standing issues, both in possession and defensively.
With more passing lanes during build-up play and improved coverage in wide areas, the structure creates cleaner exits from pressure. As Martin Rafelt of Spielverlagerung explained to Opta Analyst, it “adds another build-up angle and avoids early passes into wide zones where isolation becomes a risk.”
It also redistributes defensive responsibility. Rather than forcing wide forwards to track back like auxiliary full-backs, the setup utilizes natural wing-backs and wide centre-backs to control those spaces.
Last season, Madrid relied on a two-centre-back system in 97% of their matches, cycling through 11 different partnerships. Now, with Dani Carvajal returning from injury and Dean Huijsen arriving as an option for the wide centre-back role, Alonso has the personnel to implement something more coherent. Of course, adaptation will take time—systems like these don’t just click into place overnight.
But the payoff is control—and control is Alonso’s defining principle. Flood central areas, maintain compact distances, and grant players positional flexibility within a clear framework. It’s also about conserving energy.
As Rafelt puts it, “It’s the ideal balance between controlling counter-attacks and committing numbers forward, which is why most teams—even those that list a back four—often build with three at the back.”
No more exhausting solo pressing runs. No more scrambling after misplaced passes. No more improvised defensive heroics. Alonso’s Real Madrid will be built on disciplined freedom.
Alonso Must Rebuild Madrid’s Midfield Control Without Kroos at its Core
There’s a consistent theme across every system Xabi Alonso sets up, regardless of how it appears on the teamsheet: the presence of a double pivot. Even when the formation flexes and players are given that coveted “bit of freedom,” the double pivot remains intact. Sometimes it’s clear, with two midfielders stationed deep, and other times it’s improvised, often by tucking a wing-back into midfield to maintain balance.
That’s likely where Trent Alexander-Arnold enters the picture. Operating at right wing-back, his role isn’t just to stretch the flank—he’s a hybrid, drifting into midfield, creating from deeper spaces, and helping build play. For a glimpse of Alonso’s blueprint, look no further than how he utilized Alejandro Grimaldo at Bayer Leverkusen. “He can play in a back four like a full-back,” Alonso explained. “But sometimes he’s a winger, sometimes he’s a midfielder.”
But even the best tactical plans can’t solve one glaring issue: Real Madrid no longer have Toni Kroos. Kroos didn’t just dictate games—he set the tempo entirely.
For Alonso at Leverkusen, Granit Xhaka played that role to perfection. Xhaka’s 102.3 passes per 90 in 2023-24 ranked as the fourth-highest among players across Europe’s top five leagues in the past five seasons (minimum 1,000 minutes). Kroos’ best return was 97.8 in 2022-23—his final campaign.
At present, Madrid don’t really have a player to take on that responsibility. Dani Ceballos might fit stylistically but doesn’t yet command full trust in that role. The solution may not lie in a new signing but in reshaping what they already have.
Alonso didn’t go out and buy a metronome at Leverkusen—he created one. Before the 2023-24 season, Granit Xhaka hadn’t averaged more than 80 passes per 90 minutes since 2018-19. Under Alonso, that figure soared past 100. His defensive and attacking output dipped, but his passing and possession numbers exploded. Xhaka didn’t just improve—he completely reinvented himself as a player.
Don’t be surprised if Alonso attempts a similar transformation at Madrid. Eduardo Camavinga, Aurélien Tchouaméni, or even Arda Güler could be molded for that role, or combined into a shared solution. Xhaka’s control wasn’t about dazzling dribbles or Hollywood passes—it came from dictating tempo, positioning himself perfectly, always offering a passing outlet, and relying on structured movement around him. Alonso just needs someone at the base of midfield to quietly keep the whole thing ticking.
Fortunately, the system itself lightens that responsibility. “For other players this system is quite easy to play,” explains Rafelt. “You can just lay the ball off to the centre-backs and decide how much risk or movement you want to take on.” It’s a framework built to protect its passers. Camavinga, especially, feels like a natural fit for that role.
A 3-1-4-2 shape could be on the cards. Federico Valverde and Jude Bellingham pushing high with relentless energy, Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé leading the line, Alexander-Arnold tucking inside to keep the midfield balanced, while Camavinga or Tchouaméni steady the rhythm from deep.
Madrid have always had brilliance, pace, and individual power. Under Alonso, they might finally add structure—and that structure will give their stars the freedom to shine even brighter.
Alonso Must Balance Madrid’s Star-studded Attack without Sacrificing Balance
Much has been made of Real Madrid’s outrageously talented forward line. On paper, they resemble a fantasy football XI built purely for goals, with little thought for balance or chemistry. The challenge is fitting them together without one player’s strengths limiting another’s. If Mbappé drifts left, Vinícius either gets sidelined or forced inside into unfamiliar territory. If Vinícius holds the width and Mbappé stays central, Bellingham’s trademark late bursts into the box get crowded out.
Drop Bellingham deeper to compensate, and suddenly one of the world’s best attacking midfielders is stuck helping with defensive duties rather than arriving in dangerous areas. That imbalance already showed last season, with Bellingham’s attacking returns dipping as he worked overtime to compensate defensively. In the Champions League alone, he made 639 high-intensity pressures—over 100 more than Vinícius and more than 300 ahead of Mbappé’s tally of 320.
Real Madrid’s gamble with Alonso is that his structure will bring order: solve the defensive fragility, control midfield spaces, and trust that the rest will naturally follow. If Madrid can dominate the centre, squeeze the game into predictable patterns, and control tempo, the attack doesn’t need flawless geometry. The superstars just need regular supply in the right zones.
Expect constant movement in this setup. Alexander-Arnold drifting between wide creator, overlapping runner, and auxiliary midfielder. Bellingham dropping into build-up phases before surging forward at the perfect moment. Vinícius and Mbappé constantly interchanging, pulling defenders into mismatches and awkward decisions. It will look messy. It will feel messy. But that chaos might just be by design.
But with Alonso directing from the sidelines, it won’t truly be a mess.
Alonso’s prime as a player spanned nearly a decade. Now, four years into his managerial career, he’s reached the pinnacle—and what a challenge he’s taken on for Act Three. There are no gentle introductions at Real Madrid. Between boardroom politics, the volatile egos in the dressing room, and a fanbase that views trophies as a given, there is no room for mistakes.
If he succeeds, we could witness a new footballing era—Real Madrid’s legendary status combined with a seamless, modern philosophy. Another defining moment in football’s timeline, with Alonso at its heart.
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FAQs
What tactical system will Xabi Alonso use at Real Madrid?
Alonso is expected to implement a back-three system with structured freedom, focusing on better defensive coverage and flexible attacking roles.
How will Alonso address Real Madrid’s defensive issues?
By using wing-backs and wide centre-backs, Alonso aims to improve defensive structure and reduce vulnerability in wide areas.
Which players fit Alonso’s midfield pivot role?
Players like Eduardo Camavinga, Aurélien Tchouaméni, and possibly Arda Güler could be molded into the deep-lying playmaker position Alonso prefers.
How will Real Madrid’s attack change under Alonso?
The attack will become more fluid, with players like Vinícius Jr., Mbappé, and Bellingham swapping positions and creating unpredictable movements.
Why is Alonso’s appointment significant for Real Madrid’s future?
His clear tactical vision and experience mark a shift from reactive football to building a sustainable style focused on control and structure.
