The way Xabi Alonso told it, two things have to happen for someone to become Real Madrid coach: “First they have to want you, then you have to want to … and the latter normally does happen,” he said. So there he was at Valdebebas on a Monday afternoon in a classic dark suit and his first day in a new job – just 24 hours – or so he claimed – after he was told it was his.
Alonso’s appointment has been an open secret for weeks but Real had waited until the day before the end of the season to announce the departure of Carlo Ancelotti and until the day after to announce the arrival of his successor. The following morning, there he was, keen to keep up the illusion. Alonso had been able to watch and analyse Real’s games, which must have taken some time, yet asked when he found out, he said: “Yesterday, when I saw the statement. It was evident then. How could I not find out?”
Alonso had, of course, found out sooner, an agreement reached after Real’s European elimination by Arsenal and contact going back further, but this was an issue that he was keen to avoid on his opening day. Yet if there was a determination to avoid questions of where he had come from, there were some brief glimpses of where he wants to go, as he talked about signings being “discussed and agreed” with the club, constructing a “proactive” and “balanced” team of “excitement, energy and ambition” in which “everyone knows what we’re trying to do collectively, which will help the individuals flourish”.
One of those will be Jude Bellingham, who Alonso said he sees as a midfielder, rather than in the second striker role he occupied for his first season in Spain and some of this second campaign. Alonso’s discussion of the Englishman was perhaps among the most revealing of his answers in tactical terms, hinting at an analysis that perhaps calls for Bellingham to move less but in a more structured manner, rather than exhausting himself playing everywhere.
“He’s a special player; his emergence is that of a generational player for Real Madrid. He is 21 and he is going to be fundamental for the future of the club. It’s a good moment to work with him. I see him as a midfielder. We will try to make him as efficient as possible.”
Alonso also said he had an idea about how to get Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior working together and said that he was going to need Rodrygo. He sought to avoid taking sole responsibility for the arrival of Dean Huijsen and the departure of Luka Modric but said that transfers would be talked about with the club – which would represent a step away from the coaching only model Ancelotti accepted.
“I want players to play where they are most comfortable, where they can best show their qualities. The good thing is that we have good players. Then, from there, it’s my problem. I am lucky to have players of this level. Not just Kylian or Vinícius, but many others. They’re differential and we have to get the best out of them. I have ideas. There’s still a while before I meet them but it’s very important for me to communicate to them what it is we want.
“These days football demands flexibility, dynamism, that you know how to move pieces. Of course I have an idea of how I want us to play but that idea of a fixed system sometimes [gives way to] something more dynamic. Will we play with four [at the back]? With three? We’ll see.
“We have players who will interpret the idea well and work hard. The challenge now is to build a team, to get the potential out of all those players and ensure that we all work together as one,” Alonso said. “Because if we do we will have a strength that is … I’m not going to say unstoppable but very powerful.”
The first steps will be seen soon, after Alonso agreed to take over in time to lead Real in the Club World Cup, which kicks off in a fortnight, despite some initial reticence.
“That’s the way circumstance had it,” he said. “Once that happens I see it as an opportunity for two reasons. One, because it means that we can accelerate processes, get to know each other sooner, see things that we want to be. Then it’s a chance to fight for another trophy. It’s the first Club World Cup and the ambition is complete. If we can bring together those two things then it can be a very good start, and as of today that is what I have in mind. We can do nice things, that ignite people. That’s what we have come for.”
