Xabi Alonso tactics at Real Madrid take shape: Pachuca win shows signs of evolution even though new boss won't rush change

Kyle Bonn

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Xabi Alonso tactics at Real Madrid take shape: Pachuca win shows signs of evolution even though new boss won't rush change image

CHARLOTTE, NC — Xabi Alonso's early tenure at the helm of Real Madrid hasn't exactly been smooth at the 2025 Club World Cup. Los Blancos were held to a 1-1 draw by Al Hilal in his debut and then played nearly the entire second match a man down as they beat Pachuca 3-1.

That has disrupted the process of installing his tactical adjustments at the club.

The former Bayer Leverkusen boss was something of a tactical revolutionary during his time in Germany, with his 3-4-2-1 formation providing the latest evolution of modern football.

Simply copying and pasting that style of play to Real Madrid was never going to work. The squad wasn't built for his old approach and the center-backs aren't suited to three at a time, requiring significant overhaul to replicate exactly what Leverkusen looked like under the Spaniard.

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A more delicate touch was required, and Alonso knew it, but it would still take time. Every coach requires time to institute their tactical adjustments.

"In this process it's pretty important to prioritize what are really the key points to change or understand," Alonso said in his pre-match press conference before the game against Pachuca in Charlotte, NC. "For sure, we have many ideas, but we are trying to pinpoint the right ones that work as quick as possible."

Instead, Alonso would make subtle changes, a little at a time, like a slow IV drip, until the transformation was complete. Still, there would be a learning curve.

MORE: A full overview of Xabi Alonso's tactics at Bayer Leverkusen

"I can't put an exact date on it [when the team will have adjusted fully], or give you a number of days. But we've been here for a week and we're getting closer and closer to what the boss wants," goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said before the game against Pachuca. "We're watching videos, having meetings... and there's no choice but to go through trial and error.

"Normally, you have a preseason of three, four or five games, but here, it's the other way around. Things are only just starting and we're already in a tournament. That's what Xabi said: we have to go out there to win, to give our all, and wait."

So, the players had to learn, absorb, and perform. And that's what they've done, in quite a short amount of time.

"He’s got a lot of wisdom to give to me, Fede [Valverde], Aurel[ien Tchouameni], we’re going to be like sponges, and we’ll take everything in and try to show it out there like we did today," said midfielder Jude Bellingham after the Pachuca win.

The England star isn't wrong, they were already looking like a Xabi Alonso team.

MORE: Full schedule and results at Club World Cup 2025

Xabi Alonso tactics at Real Madrid take shape

There have been significant bumps along the road. The biggest culprit so far has been young defender Raul Asencio, who made two glaring mistakes in Alonso's first two matches in charge. He conceded a penalty in the draw with Al Hilal and was hauled off at halftime, and then was sent off seven minutes into the Pachuca game for a soft yet indefensible last-man foul on savvy veteran Salomon Rondon. "For sure, he needs to learn from experiences," Alonso said.

Still, even in the man-down setup, there are clear indications that Alonso has made changes to the Carlo Ancelotti days.

"Today I can say that we have shown what we have tried to do in these couple of days, or even in the team talk before the game," Alonso said after the win over Pachuca. "Today has been about adapting to the context of where we were, with the principles to be in good shape, to have good distances, to have balance to defend, sometimes when we have the ball to have side-by-side possession.

"Our game intelligence gives us another edge, and today I'm really pleased how they understood the quick change [from the red card] in just the cooling break that we had, and even at halftime it was pretty clear that we have that idea and built a very strong performance."

MORE: The Sporting News flew to Germany to follow Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen

While deploying a back four with his Real Madrid squad bereft of natural wing-backs, there are signs that he is using his players in such a way. Alonso loves his full-backs, and sure enough, Fede Valverde played a hybrid role alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold that allowed for fluidity in and out of possession.

Madrid's opening goal against Pachuca, coming via Jude Bellingham while playing a man down, also showed Alonso's delicate touch. For a coach that preaches triangle passing, the build-up to the goal must have made him proud.

A vertical pass from a marauding Valverde up to hold-up striker Gonzalo Garcia gave way to a flick for left-back Fran Garcia up the left. As Vinicius Jr. drew the defenders on the move, Bellingham stepped perfectly in front to receive the pass and finish much like Florian Wirtz would have at Alonso's old home.

"I feel good with him because he likes to control the tempo, wants more short passes, and sees me as a midfielder, and that's better for me," Arda Guler said.

While those short passes Guler is referencing were evident, Alonso's preference for long diagonal balls also remained strong, as seen on the second Madrid goal scored by the Turkey international. A simple switch of play from Vinicius found Alexander-Arnold wide open on the right, and his cross ball to Gonzalo Garcia saw the 21-year-old weight a feed for Guler perfectly, wherein he applied the finish.

Both of these goals oozed Alonso's influence. All three Real Madrid midfielders (Guler, Bellingham, and Valverde) had tons of freedom to move, rotate, and position themselves to confuse the opposition. The striker Garcia, who has taken his chance brilliantly with Kylian Mbappe out sick, has played both on the run and with his back to goal. And the wide players are working in tandem to perfection.

On the basis of this performance, it was evident Alonso is now firmly in charge of this Real Madrid side.

Xabi Alonso pressing at Real Madrid still very much a work in progress

While Madrid's abilities on the ball are coming together nicely, and quickly, the pressing is still very much a more long-term project.

Madrid players have spoken about how they will need time and reps to re-train their minds from Ancelotti's "automatisms" to those of Alonso. What they mean by this are the pressing triggers — when to challenge, when to step back, and when to change positions defensively.

What makes things even more difficult is that Alonso places great importance on flexibility of pressing, so while there are certain key philosophies that remain throughout for the players to grasp, much of the off-ball approach can change game-to-game.

"We will try to find solutions, but we need to follow the team's fundamentals," Alonso said of their tactical plan for each game moving forward. "The matches give us information and room for improvement, but flexibility and understanding our opponents each match is something we want to do."

The key change for Real Madrid under Alonso is that where Ancelotti preached backing into a mid-block once losing the ball, hoping to remain steadfast until a turnover created a transitional opportunity, Alonso wants his players to counter-press harder and put opponents under pressure quickly after losing the ball.

Playing with 10 men for 83 minutes isn't exactly an ideal environment for putting this philosophy into practice, but whispers of this approach were evident even so. While not able to fully counter-press after losing possession while a man down, Madrid would show enough pressure to force Pachuca to boot it long. Even while Rondon caused problems for the Madrid defensive line early, Alonso was happy to let them sort it out at the back, which they eventually did.

Most of the counter-pressing revolved around Bellingham, who was tireless in his efforts to win the ball back regardless of whether it was he who lost it. In the 93-degree Charlotte heat, Bellingham was cooked by his exit on the hour mark, at which point they began to counter-press much less to protect the lead.

While this part of Alonso's approach to managing Madrid still has a long way to go, and the Club World Cup has not progressed favorably in this evolution, there are signs that things may be starting to take shape. Still, it's difficult to know quite how this will play out just yet.

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.