While Real Madrid did have a lot of success under Carlo Ancelotti, they are preparing for a new and exciting era under Xabi Alonso, who has officially taken over as their new boss; his first assignment will be the FIFA Club World Cup.
Alonso had a very successful career as a player during which he was coached by some of the great minds in world football, including Carlo Ancelotti, Rafael Benitez, Jose Mourinho, and Pep Guardiola. With that kind of mentorship, many believed he was destined for the dugout, and he has certainly lived up to the expectation with an exceptional start to his managerial journey.
While the Spaniard has made a promising start, taking over from Ancelotti is not really an easy task. More importantly, managing Real Madrid is one of the most difficult jobs in world football given the weight of expectations. It will certainly demand a lot from the former World Cup winner, who certainly seems ready to take Los Blancos to new heights.
Carlo Ancelotti’s final season at Real Madrid did not go according to plan as he failed to win any major trophy. But it will still go down as a legendary spell, given he won two UEFA Champions League titles and as many La Liga titles.
More importantly, he made a lot of tactical changes to adjust to the changing personnel and despite all that was going on, the Italian tactician ensured the team in white continued to dominate in Spain as well as Europe.
While Alonso will be given some time to adjust, he will certainly have to deliver results in his very first season. Given what Ancelotti has done with the squad and the kind of challenges he has faced, it certainly won’t be easy for the former Bayer Leverkusen boss.
But the Spanish tactician has shown signs of being a top manager quite early in his career, and he can take a giant step towards becoming a great manager if he can deliver at Real Madrid. Alonso knows Real Madrid inside out, having spent a significant part of his career at the club — first as a player and later as a youth team coach.
He already has a strong bond with the fans and is well aware of what will be expected from him. Not only is it a massive transition for Alonso, but it is an even bigger one for Los Blancos as they have gone from an experienced manager to someone who is a huge managerial prospect.
After hanging up his boots in 2017, Xabi Alonso wasted no time and straight away got into coaching. He started at Real Madrid as the coach of their under-14s. While he was managing Real Madrid’s youth team, he got the offer to lead Real Sociedad’s B team.
He seized the opportunity to manage the reserve team of his boyhood club, enjoying notable success at the youth level, a stint that eventually earned him his first senior managerial role in late 2022. The Spaniard took charge of Bayer Leverkusen when the club were struggling in the bottom half of the Bundesliga table. He completely transformed them, and in his first full season at the helm, the 43-year-old guided Leverkusen to their first-ever league title and did so without losing a single game.
He completed a domestic double and announced himself to the world as one of the most exciting managerial prospects. While there was no shortage of interest in the 43-year-old, the former Spanish international turned down every opportunity, patiently waiting for the Real Madrid job.
And after another impressive season with the German club, finally, the opportunity came as Los Blancos decided to part ways with Ancelotti and replace him with the up-and-coming, Xabi Alonso.
Real Madrid fans certainly have high expectations from their former midfield general, especially after witnessing the remarkable job he did at Bayer Leverkusen. His tactical approach appears to be a blend of three of modern football’s greatest managers: he values possession dominance like Pep Guardiola, demands ruthlessness on the counter and defensive compactness in the mould of Jose Mourinho, and, much like Carlo Ancelotti, adapts his system to suit the players at his disposal.
Alonso prefers playing with a 3-4-2-1, and it has given him a lot of success in his short managerial career. But he also prepares his team to be comfortable in a 4-2-3-1 or a 3-4-3 formation as he might need to make tactical adjustments depending on the opposition and the players at his disposal.
The Spanish manager is expected to go ahead with the 3-4-2-1 formation at Real Madrid. Even though it might take time for the Spanish giants to adjust to it, they can certainly be a lot more dangerous in and out of possession in that formation.
Alonso prefers having a fast-paced approach. Without the ball, he wants to have defensive solidity and is keen on ensuring at least five of his players are always committed to defensive transitions.
He wants the wing-back and midfielders to drop to support the back three. While the Spaniard does believe in putting pressure on the opposition, his teams have a systematically coordinated press that will be triggered when the opposition enters the danger zone. They also look to press high up on the pitch to win the ball back immediately.
After winning the ball back, he wants his team to counter aggressively, and they are well-drilled to break through the opposition’s press. While he likes to hit them on the break, Alonso also wants to ensure his team dominates the ball and plays in compact triangles. But their emphasis is not just on retaining the ball, it is getting it to the forwards quickly in dangerous areas.
The biggest challenge obviously will be to integrate all three of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes in the starting XI. While Ancelotti did find a way, it was not as effective as everyone expected. With a back three, playing all three from the start won’t be easy as they do not put in too much work off the ball.
While this will be a challenge, Alonso will certainly enjoy working with the likes of Jude Bellingham and Arda Guler. They could be an ideal fit for the attacking midfield roles in his setup. Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is expected to soon officially join Real Madrid, could be an absolute delight for the Spanish manager as he certainly wants an attacking full-back, and the Liverpool star is one of the very best.
The biggest challenge will be to succeed Ancelotti as a man manager. The Italian tactician does an exceptional job managing egos, and Alonso will certainly have to deal with that. However, given his own stature as a player, he will certainly command a lot of respect from the players. The pressure to deliver instantly will be another massive challenge.
Xabi Alonso’s appointment marks the dawn of a fascinating new era at the Santiago Bernabeu. While the shoes he has to fill are enormous, so too is the promise he brings given his sensational record at Leverkusen. With his deep ties to the club, an exciting tactical vision, and a fearless approach, Alonso offers Real Madrid not just continuity, but evolution.
There will be growing pains and obstacles to overcome, but if there’s anyone who understands both the expectations and the ethos of this club, it’s him. The Xabi Alonso era has begun, now, the world waits to see how far he can take Los Blancos.
