Xabi Alonso's "reality check"

Barcelona"Reality check," is the headline given by several media outlets following the news from the Whites. This is the feeling in Madrid after losing 4-0 to Luis Enrique's PSG.. Xabi Alonso, who in a few weeks had managed to establish himself as the savior, was harshly criticized by the Spanish press after a thrashing that leaves them without a chance of playing in the Club World Cup final, which will be played between Chelsea and PSG.

"It's the last game of the 24-25 season and in August we will start the 25-26 season, which will be something different and where we will start from scratch." The statements of Xabi Alonso In the press conference following the defeat, they contrasted with those made by their president, Florentino Pérez, minutes before debuting against Al-Hilal in the Club World Cup (1-1). "Like every year at the start of a new season, we come prepared to face the various competitions," said the club's top official. The debate therefore raged in the press: was this the start of a new season or the end of the previous one?

In any case, it's clear that there was excitement among the Real Madrid faithful. The arrival of Xabi Alonso to the bench and the signings of Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold opened the door to turning around what had been a difficult year at the Santiago Bernabéu. Beaten by Barça in every national competition (La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Super Cup) and eliminated in the Champions League quarterfinals by Arsenal (5-1 on aggregate), Real Madrid hoped to once again dominate the football scene and prove they had never left the top spot, currently controlled by PSG.

Reality, however, came to light on Wednesday night. With neither of the two new signings (Huijsen sent off and Trent nursing a niggle), the Basque coach opted to change the system. From the three center backs (with Tchouaméni as the third most free man in the center of defense) and two wing-backs that had been used in the first matches, the team switched to a traditional 4-3-3. Valverde returned to occupy the right back position to accommodate Vinícius, Mbappé, and Gonzalo, the new emerging star of this World Cup who disappeared against Luis Enrique's team.

The first two were the most singled out by the press, apart from Xabi Alonso. Madrid strongly criticized Real Madrid's two stars for their lack of intensity when pressing, a non-negotiable factor with the new coach. There was also criticism of Raúl Asencio and Rüdiger, whose "childish errors" cost Paris the first two goals in just 10 minutes.

The lack of commitment from some players is one of the things that has most bothered the Spanish press. It will be one of Xabi Alonso's main tasks as Real Madrid coach: convincing the stars that they should defend and press. In fact, Luis Enrique, Real Madrid's executioner, already warned of what it meant to have Mbappé on the team. "A player who moves wherever he wants implies that there are game situations that I don't control; now I will control them all, without exception," the Asturian described in his documentary (He has no fucking idea, on Movistar).

Managing egos will make the difference between success or failure for Xabi Alonso. Making brave and risky decisions, as the Madrid press is demanding, will be key to determining the Basque national team's future on the Santiago Bernabéu bench. Being a great locker room manager will be almost more important than any tactical advice he can provide, something that also happened at Barça a few years ago. It's clear that the new Real Madrid failed in its first test, and although it's still under construction, Xabi has already conceded on his first decision: he's changed his system to accommodate three forwards.