Are Real Madrid ready to begin Xabi Alonso era at Club World Cup?

When Real Madrid marked their upcoming engagement successful the FIFA Club World Cup with a station connected their societal media accounts connected Saturday, the biggest look successful the composite representation wasn't that of prima striker Kylian Mbappé.

It wasn't Vinícius Júnior's oregon Jude Bellingham's, either, though each 3 superstars were featured, alongside the competition's glistening trophy and images of soaring U.S. skyscrapers and bridges.

Instead, the representation was dominated by the -- admittedly precise handsome -- look of caller manager Xabi Alonso. It has been lone a fewer weeks, but already Madridistas couldn't beryllium much excited astir the Alonso era, his messianic committedness outshining the combined prima powerfulness of 3 of the game's astir high-profile players.

The caller coach's accomplishment -- returning to the nine wherever helium impressed arsenic a subordinate and aboriginal began his coaching travel astatine the academy -- was made authoritative connected May 25, the time aft Madrid's 2024-25 LaLiga play ended. He took his archetypal grooming league connected June 9, conscionable 7 days ago. But already Alonso's Madrid are successful Palm Beach, Florida, preparing for the Club World Cup.

Beyond the hype, clues arsenic to precisely what Alonso has planned for the squad person been scarce. At location successful Madrid, astatine the club's Valdebebas base, grooming took spot down closed doors past week. Just 15 minutes of Sunday's archetypal unfastened league successful the United States, astatine their grooming campy successful Palm Beach Gardens, were unfastened to the media. But the small we've seen of Alonso astatine work, successful photos and video cautiously compiled and released by the club, has been intriguing.

Every representation has already been pored implicit and analyzed by fans. In 1 photo, from a acceptable released by the nine connected June 9, Alonso sits successful an bureau with 5 of his cardinal coaching staff: Sebas Parrilla (assistant manager), Ismael Camenforte (fitness coach), Alberto Encinas and Beñat Labaien (analysts) and Luis Lopis (the ongoing goalkeeping coach). Their laptops are astatine the ready, with what look similar tactical plans connected the screens. Alonso is poised with a tablet successful beforehand of him. The intended message, possibly a small unfairly, is clear: This is simply a thoroughly modern coach, dissimilar his predecessor, Carlo Ancelotti.

Training footage shows Alonso to beryllium conscionable arsenic focused, interventionist and detail-orientated arsenic you'd expect: actively directing, stopping play erstwhile necessary, pointing and shouting, watching his players' each determination and often correcting their positioning.

Again, the opposition with the much laid-back Ancelotti couldn't beryllium much stark. Alonso mightiness person played nether the chilled-out Italian; but helium learned his commercialized nether Rafa Benítez, José Mourinho and Pep Guardiola, too.

At his introductory quality league connected May 26, Alonso provided much hints arsenic to the benignant of squad we mightiness spot statesman to germinate astatine the Club World Cup and to flourish successful LaLiga adjacent season. He said: "Today successful shot you person to beryllium flexible, and dynamic. You person to determination pieces astir during games. I person an thought of however we privation to play, but the strategy tin change, with 4 [defenders], oregon with three.

"What I privation is that we cognize however to take our moments, to beryllium organized, to power the ball, and cognize what to bash erstwhile we don't person the ball. You person to property erstwhile it's necessary, and beryllium backmost erstwhile it's necessary. It's astir taking the initiative, and we person the players to bash it."

We'll get a archetypal existent glimpse of however adjacent Alonso's embryonic broadside are to that perfect erstwhile Madrid footwear disconnected against Al Hilal astatine Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, connected Wednesday.

The task up for Alonso is considerable. Madrid underperformed past season, slumping into an ineffective shadiness of the squad that won LaLiga and the Champions League the twelvemonth before. When pushed, Alonso refused to supply an investigation of the side's weaknesses, reluctant to get into specifics.

"I've seen the games, I've analyzed them, and present I'm reasoning astir what we tin bash to person equilibrium and control," helium said. "That volition springiness america a stableness which volition alteration the idiosyncratic qualities to flourish."

Balance and control. Both were lacking for Ancelotti's Madrid past season. The run wasn't a catastrophe: The squad finished 2nd successful LaLiga, kept the rubric contention live until May and reached the Copa del Rey final. But Madrid were embarrassed successful their Champions League round-of-16 elimination to Arsenal, losing 5-1 connected aggregate -- and they mislaid 4 consecutive Clásicos to Barcelona for the archetypal clip successful 15 years, including the 4-3 connected May 11 that handed Barça the league. Mbappé mightiness person scored 43 goals successful each competitions, but helium was conscionable astir the lone functioning portion of the team.

That meant Ancelotti had to suffer his job. It was a determination Ancelotti himself accepted and understood, contented to bid an affectional farewell and determination connected to a adjacent destination helium had agelong fancied, arsenic Brazil's nationalist squad coach. For an arsenic agelong clip -- dating backmost years -- Alonso had been Madrid's favourite to regenerate him. That presumption was backed up by his show astatine Bayer Leverkusen, with their 2023-24 unbeaten Bundesliga title-winning season.

Circumstances made the handover unexpectedly awkward. Madrid couldn't enactment portion they were still, adjacent theoretically, successful the rubric race. Alonso, respectfully, didn't privation to marque his aboriginal plans nationalist until the extremity of Leverkusen's season. And Brazil's shot federation was keen -- for internal, governmental reasons -- to unafraid Ancelotti arsenic soon arsenic possible. The effect was Alonso confirming his Leverkusen departure connected May 9, and Ancelotti past being announced arsenic Brazil coach, 11 days earlier his Madrid exit would beryllium made official.

It didn't fuss Ancelotti much, though, and helium gave his erstwhile subordinate his blessing, calling Alonso a "fantastic" manager who had "all doors unfastened to him." The outgoing brag said of his successor: "He's shown himself to beryllium 1 of the champion coaches successful the world."

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When Alonso was yet presented arsenic Madrid's caller manager connected May 26, helium was predictably assured, charismatic and eloquent. However, determination were immoderate subjects helium had to enactment hard to avoid, specified arsenic precisely erstwhile Madrid had offered him the job, and however overmuch input he'd had connected issues specified arsenic the determination not to grant seasoned midfielder Luka Modric a caller contract.

He wouldn't perpetrate to a formation, saying again that "football is dynamic." When asked however helium would assistance Mbappé and Vini Jr. enactment unneurotic arsenic a beforehand two, helium answered enigmatically: "I person ideas." There was much item connected a presumption for Jude Bellingham -- "I spot him arsenic a midfielder. We'll effort to marque definite he's arsenic businesslike arsenic possible" -- and a noncommittal reply connected Rodrygo who, sources person told ESPN, wants clarity connected his aboriginal role. "I'll speech to each the players, due to the fact that we person to get to cognize each other," Alonso said.

This Club World Cup is simply a half-way house, lasting betwixt 2 seasons, 2 eras, and 2 Real Madrid teams. Veterans similar Modric and Lucas Vázquez volition play for Madrid successful the tourney for the past time, earlier their contracts expire. Two caller players, halfway backmost Dean Huijsen and close backmost Trent Alexander-Arnold, person already signed and are with the squad successful Florida. Two much are successful the United States, but elsewhere. River Plate playmaker Franco Mastantuono volition articulation successful August erstwhile helium turns 18, portion near backmost Álvaro Carreras is inactive with Benfica, the 2 clubs incapable to hold connected a fee.

Ball-playing defender Huijsen believes helium "fits successful good with Xabi's football." Alexander-Arnold says Alonso was a "big idol" for him arsenic a kid, and much than that, helium has already affected the improvement of the afloat back's playing style. "He impacted my crippled increasing up," Alexander-Arnold said astatine his unveiling connected Thursday. "Watching him walk the shot gave maine the hunger to bash that. ... He's a caller manager, but he's shown however astonishing helium is. I'll beryllium soaking up each the accusation I can."

Alonso was reluctant to instrumentality connected the Club World Cup and would person preferred to statesman afterward. An interim, interior assignment was considered, similar manager of shot Santi Solari, earlier being dismissed arsenic impractical.

Alonso has not had clip yet to decently assemble a caller team, with a caller doctrine and identity, but the demands astatine Madrid are unsighted to that. They volition beryllium arsenic precocious arsenic ever. An aboriginal elimination, adjacent successful the knockout phase, would beryllium viewed arsenic unacceptable. But there's besides the alluring anticipation of a bully performance, an aboriginal impervious of conception for Alonso's project. "These are the circumstances, and erstwhile it's similar that, I spot it arsenic an opportunity," Alonso insisted past month. "On the 1 hand, to get started with processes, however we privation [the team] to be. And past connected the different hand, to combat for a trophy. If we bash those 2 things, it tin beryllium a large start."

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Those "circumstances" see 3 players -- Vini Jr., Arda Güler and Andriy Lunin -- gathering up with Alonso and the squad for the precise archetypal clip connected Saturday, astatine the Four Seasons Hotel successful Palm Beach, aft their planetary commitments ended. Other important figures -- Mbappé, Bellingham, Alexander-Arnold, Huijsen, Modric and Aurélien Tchouaméni -- lone returned connected Friday, meaning that they volition person lone completed 5 grooming sessions earlier Alonso's archetypal crippled successful charge.

And past there's a agelong database of others -- Dani Carvajal, Éder Militão, Antonio Rüdiger, David Alaba, Eduardo Camavinga, Endrick and Ferland Mendy -- who are inactive not afloat acceptable and are moving connected their recovery. All were named successful Madrid's Club World Cup squad and person traveled to the U.S.

Speaking connected accomplishment successful Palm Beach, Alonso did his champion to enactment upbeat. "It's been precise positive," helium said. "You get to cognize [the players] small by little, having that contact, that's precise necessary. And much players are arriving.

"Everything has been sped up a lot, due to the fact that we person precise small clip to get to cognize each other. Today we arrived, and we'll commencement to marque a team. We person 3 grooming sessions earlier the [Al Hilal] match, but we're excited to beryllium here, to person a bully tournament, and to spell each the mode to the end."

That's Madrid's target: getting to the last astatine MetLife Stadium and winning it. But there's besides another, adjacent much important objective: gathering an improved squad for adjacent season, a squad that won't get hammered repeatedly by Barcelona oregon bested by immoderate apical broadside they travel up against successful the Champions League. And successful that regard, it's not yet wide if this tourney volition beryllium a help, oregon a hindrance.