'A new era dawns at Real Madrid' - the challenges facing Xabi Alonso

In what has been the worst kept concealed successful the footballing world, Xabi Alonso has been announced arsenic Real Madrid's caller manager.

After announcing this period that helium would permission Bayer Leverkusen this summer, the erstwhile Real and Liverpool midfielder has signed a three-year deal astatine the Bernabeu arsenic Carlo Ancelotti's successor.

It is an inevitable, if bittersweet, decision to Ancelotti's 2nd spell astatine Madrid.

So finally, we person the overmuch expected transition, with the Italian fable stepping speech to take complaint of Brazil and the young pretender returning to the Bernabeu.

This changing of the guard, from the club's astir decorated manager to a rising prima successful management, is symbolic. It marks the extremity of an epoch and the opening of a fascinating caller one.

A concern facilitated by the innate reasonableness of Bayer Leverkusen who, existent to their word, stood by the gentlemen's statement betwixt manager and nine that they would not basal successful Alonso's mode should helium person an connection helium could not refuse.

Madrid are present preparing for a aboriginal led by their erstwhile midfielder, with president Florentino Perez viewing Alonso arsenic the semipermanent answer.

The 43-year-old's occurrence astatine Leverkusen has elevated his profile, and Real judge helium possesses the tactical sharpness and affectional quality to pb a generational transition.

Last twelvemonth helium led Leverkusen to a Bundesliga title, without losing a game, and the German Cup successful his archetypal afloat play arsenic a elder nine manager.

But the task Alonso faces astatine Real is enormous.

He volition inherit a squad successful flux, needing to equilibrium Kylian Mbappe's beingness and Vinicius Jr's leadership, with the Brazilian astir to motion a longer contract.

Alonso volition besides request to integrate youngsters similar Endrick and Arda Guler, phasing retired the aged defender and delivering trophies immediately.

He volition besides request to navigate a boardroom that wants influence, a instrumentality basal that demands instant occurrence and a media situation that volition clasp him to intolerable standards from time one.

Alonso has the tactical credentials, but this is Madrid wherever endowment unsocial does not warrant survival.

After winning La Liga and the Champions League past season, a run without a trophy serves to warrant the club's determination to extremity the Ancelotti era.

You cannot underestimate the enormity of his publication to the club, though.

Fifteen trophies - much than immoderate manager successful the club's past - successful 2 eras of success, steadiness and quiescent revolution.

Ancelotti brought dignity and calm to chaos. He won with style, without needing to shout, and restored bid erstwhile the nine was connected the edge.

When Ancelotti returned to Madrid successful 2021 pursuing Zinedine Zidane's unexpected resignation, the nine were drifting.

The stadium redevelopment was mid-construction, the squad was bladed and determination was a palpable deficiency of direction. Yet Ancelotti brought calm, clarity, credibility - and a singular resurgence.

In his archetypal play back, aft the departure of cardinal players Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane, they secured a La Liga and Champions League double, positive the Spanish Supercup, an accomplishment fewer believed imaginable fixed the structural limitations.

Key areas of the squad remained unaddressed due to the fact that of fiscal unit caused by escalating stadium costs. But done man-management, tactical pragmatism and the brilliance of individuals, Madrid triumphed.

However, that aforesaid occurrence planted the seeds of aboriginal discord arsenic the squad was not improved dramatically and players who near - particularly Toni Kroos - were not replaced adequately.

When Mbappe yet arrived from Paris St-Germain past summer, Perez believed the squad would instrumentality different leap forward.

But fractures had already begun to appear, not conscionable tactically but wrong the changing room.

Behind closed doors, disagreements surfaced implicit carnal mentation and discipline, and Perez, ever profoundly involved, became much vocal successful his frustration.

From the directors' container came disdainful comments, connected the deficiency of antiaircraft enactment by the main stars, contempt meetings betwixt the manager and them to crook things around, and Ancelotti's absorption of emerging talents.

Questions were raised implicit the cautious handling of Guler, and doubts formed implicit whether guardant Endrick would thrive nether Ancelotti's approach.

The tension, though ne'er explosive, became constant. By October the nine enactment felt Ancelotti was not addressing the issues and the thought of Madrid taking a caller absorption started to instrumentality root.

On the pitch, the squad mislaid coherence. The dressing country - erstwhile unified by Ancelotti's dependable manus - began to fragment. Key players stopped listening to him, portion others grew weary of his hands-off approach.

Perhaps astir destabilising was the rivalry betwixt Vinicius and Mbappe. Both wanted to beryllium the look of the team.

Mbappe preferred to play centrally, but Vinicius believed helium had earned apical billing. There was nary unfastened conflict, but the on-pitch dynamic spoke volumes. In captious moments, they did not look for each other. The hostility was disposable to unit and team-mates alike.

Ancelotti, usually the maestro of ego management, struggled and admitted privately it was 1 of the hardest changing rooms to negociate successful his career.

On immoderate occasions, pre-match media briefings became abbreviated and irritable, with Ancelotti feeling helium was not getting the nine enactment helium thought helium deserved.

He had asked for right-back Kyle Walker successful January to screen for semipermanent injuries to Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao, but the petition was rejected.

Outwardly, the 65-year-old remained respectful. He repeated the aforesaid line: "I volition enactment astatine Madrid until the nine nary longer wants me."

To fans, that echoed loyalty. But to Perez, it sounded similar pressure.

Now the Brazil occupation stands arsenic Ancelotti's adjacent frontier.