Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid, between ambitions and experiments at the Club World Cup

When a coach is appointed at the end of the season, custom dictates that he has time for summer preparation and a few friendly matches before stepping into the spotlight. Xabi Alonso will have less than a month, and a number of training sessions that can be counted on the fingers of two hands, before diving in at the deep end. Having arrived on the Real Madrid bench three weeks ago, the 43-year-old will play his first official match at the helm of the Spanish team on Wednesday, June 18, against Saudi Arabian team Al-Hilal.

This is the shift in football, where revolutions can now be made even before the end of the season. With the new format of the Club World Cup, the International Football Federation (FIFA) has significantly shifted the boundaries, and Real Madrid's management took the opportunity to acknowledge what would be inevitable at the end of this disappointing 2024-2025 season: a necessary evolution.

Not everything has changed from top to bottom at the Merengue since their last match, on May 24th against Real Sociedad in the Spanish league, but some foundations have been renovated. Carlo Ancelotti, who has been coach since 2021, left his post to join the Brazilian national team . But his departure has not shaken the team, which was already ready to secure his successor.

You have 76.31% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.