The New Real Madrid: Finding Balance in the Chaos under Xabi Alonso | Real Madrid Playing Style new season

Xabi-Ball: How Real Madrid Are Shaping a New Era Under Xabi Alonso

What’s up, fellow Madridistas! It’s Ritik here, and I’ve been diving deep into the exciting changes at Real Madrid under Xabi Alonso. The friendly against Tirol gave us a clear glimpse into how this team is evolving, and the word that sums it all up is balance. Alonso is building a new identity for Madrid—fluid, collective, and tactical—while also handling the problem of plenty when it comes to squad depth.

A New System: Welcome to “Xabi-Ball”

Forget rigid formations. Xabi Alonso has introduced a style that focuses on possession, positional play, and collective defending. Madrid started in a 4-3-3 but quickly shifted into a 3-4-2-1, with players rotating constantly to create numerical advantages. They also played in 3-5-2 during Club World Cup.

Key features of this system:

• Quick, vertical passing to break lines.

• High pressing as a unit.

• Defenders stepping into midfield to compress the pitch.

• Every player having a role in winning the ball back.

This fluidity is a huge shift from the past and directly addresses Madrid’s long-standing defensive gaps.

The Attack: A Problem of Riches

Vinícius and Mbappe Issue

Madrid’s attack is stacked with talent - Mbappé, Vinícius, Rodrygo, Endrick, Brahim Díaz, Mastantuano and Gonzalo García. But the challenge isn’t about who to pick; it’s about how to make them complement each other.

Vinícius Júnior: The classic touchline winger, staying wide, dribbling past defenders, and creating from the flank.

Kylian Mbappé: More of a left half-space striker, drifting inside, linking play, and running in behind.

They often come into each other's space and if we play with two attackers only that means the right half space is totally empty.

Alonso’s solution? Movement and interchange. Vinícius stretches the pitch wide, creating space for Mbappé to attack centrally, while Mbappé’s tendency to drop deep opens channels for others. Move, rotate on the pitch. Attack in numbers in areas not just on the left flank. Instead of clashing, their roles can complement each other in this fluid system. 

Vinícius vs Rodrygo: The Big Debate

This is where it gets interesting. The Tirol friendly and analysis raised a tough question: does Rodrygo actually fit Alonso’s system better than Vinícius?

Rodrygo’s strengths:

• Comfortable drifting inside as a right-footed player on the left.

• Higher involvement in build-up—more passes completed, received, and progressive actions than Vinícius.

• Stronger defensive work rate, pressing and tracking back more effectively.

• Ideal fit as the left-sided “inside player” in a 3-4-2-1.

Vinícius’s challenges:

• Tends to hug the touchline and play more individually.

• Lower defensive numbers compared to Rodrygo.

• Rated poorly in the Tirol game, even gifting possession with a costly mistake, is not in his prime form for some time.

• Reports about his contract demands and attitude add extra tension.

In Alonso’s “ideal” system, Rodrygo looks like the perfect puzzle piece, while Vinícius might need to adapt but in reality it might be Vinícius who play and Rodrygo is in the verge of being forced out of the club.

Midfield and Defensive Flexibility

Madrid’s midfield is stacked: Jude Bellingham, Arda Güler, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Camavinga, Ceballos and Federico Valverde. The challenge is fitting them all in without weakening the defense.

Alonso’s solution lies in flexible formations, with Tchouaméni being the key. He knows when to play as DM and when to go back in defence. We don't need an extra CB to play back three.

This allows full-backs to push high, ensures all four midfielders can play, and maintains defensive balance. It’s tactical genius-flexibility without sacrificing stability.

New Signings: More Than Just Names

The Tirol friendly gave us a closer look at the summer additions, and they’re already making a big impact:

Dean Huijsen: A revelation at center-back. He had the most touches and passes, breaking lines like a deep-lying playmaker. Calm under pressure, he feels like a modern sweeper.

Álvaro Carreras: Energetic at left-back, winning duels, completing dribbles, and pushing high into midfield. His intensity adds balance to the left side.

Trent Alexander-Arnold: Played as a right-back but drifted inside, using his world-class passing to create angles. He might be used differently than at Liverpool, but Alonso clearly values his creativity.

Franco Mastantuono: Young, but already showing maturity. Chose Madrid over PSG, and Alonso personally convinced him. His versatility, wing or advanced midfield, makes him a future star.

The Tirol Friendly: A Glimpse of the Future

The 3-0 win over Tirol wasn’t just a preseason runout—it was a window into Alonso’s vision.

Highlights:

• Mbappé led the line, mixing depth runs with link-up play.

• Gonzalo García impressed centrally, thriving in combination play and box presence rather than wide isolation like he was in Club World Cup Semi finals. He is meant to receive crosses not give them.

• Huijsen looked untouchable, dictating tempo from the back.

• Carreras was lively, pushing high and dominating duels.

• Vinícius struggled, rated lowest, while Rodrygo’s profile continues to look like a better fit.

The match showed a team learning Alonso’s system but already executing positional play, rotations, and vertical combinations with surprising maturity.

Conclusion: A New Era Begins

Real Madrid under Xabi Alonso are not just evolving, they’re reinventing themselves. This is no longer the Madrid of isolated dribblers and reactive football. It’s a side built on balance, tactical flexibility, and collective responsibility.

• The attack is loaded but will rely on fluid movement rather than fixed roles.

• The Vinícius vs Rodrygo debate is real, with Rodrygo fitting the system better for now but Vini being a big name and power in football world.

• The midfield and defense are being solved through tactical adaptability.

• The new signings are already showing they belong in the XI.

This is the dawn of Xabi-Ball—a new identity that could define Madrid’s next era. For the first time in years, the silver lining is clear: Real Madrid are not just playing to win, they’re playing to dominate.

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