Los Blancos may have won their first game of the season but the new coach has an awful lot of work to do at the Santiago Bernabeu
There's no other way to cut it: Real Madrid were very poor in their 1-0 win over Osasuna to open the season. Fans looking for signs of encouragement, or hoping to be moved by new tactical ideas, would have been left largely disappointed. There was nothing definitive to be found, no glitzy new system, or innovative way of playing.
Instead, Madrid fell back into a lot of similar patterns. Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe disagreed a lot. The midfield lacked balance. The team looked vulnerable on the break here and there. If Los Blancos really do want to compete for the league, then they will have to perform a whole lot more convincingly than this.
The good news, though, is that it is early on in the season. Xabi Alonso may have a lot to do, but he also has a lot to work with. It helps, too, that such is the quality of the squad – and relative weakness of La Liga – that Madrid can still be carried by moments of individual magic.
Still, individualism can only sustain them for so long, and even if he is given time, the new coach will have to start piecing together something more tactically coherent. GOAL looks at the biggest changes Alonso must make if Madrid are to win major honours this season…
Getty ImagesFigure out the Mbappe-Vini dynamic
How many times have we been here? Vinicius and Mbappe are not impossible to configure. But they are pretty hard. It really comes from the lack of willingness from either party to adjust.
Vinicius is determined to have his heels on the touchline and cut inside. Mbappe has a deep, almost emotional attachment to the left channel. Neither of them has shown any real attempt to compromise.
Mbappe seldom makes runs into the box. Vinicius doesn't really expand his repertoire. Spaces shrink, channels disappear. Even the best in the world struggle when they are triple-teamed.
Perhaps the one who needs to compromise the most here is Mbappe. Neither is a No.9, and neither will ever likely be a world class one. But Mbappe is certainly the guy who has to try – especially if Madrid are to play three up front.
The one thing that's clear is that it can't go on like this for much longer. Alonso has a tricky problem to figure out.
Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesBring in Carvajal
So it's all about balance, really. Madrid are lacking in legs up front, and a bit lopsided in the middle. Alonso will, undoubtedly, fiddle with his configurations all over the pitch in the days, weeks and months to come.
However, that means that he needs solidity at some key positions. One of those is right-back, and even a Carvajal coming off a serious knee injury is more reliable than most out there.
The Spaniard was an outside contender for the Ballon d'Or just 12 months ago, and has a relatively clean injury history. Sure, he's on the wrong side of 30, but has plenty of football left in him.
Perhaps most important for this Madrid side, though, is the intangible stuff. The old guard has mostly left the club. Carvajal still knows how to be a leader, and what it means to wear the shirt.
In most places, that's a bit trite. At the Santiago Bernabeu, in front of expectant fans, it's everything. Madrid simply need him on the pitch.
Getty Images Sport…and entertain the Trent in midfield idea
Look away now, Sir Gareth Southgate…
The suggested restoration of Carvajal to the starting line-up would mean another player suffers. And so we return to the Trent conundrum.
There was a school of thought, for a long time, that Alexander-Arnold would eventually just become a centre-midfielder. That notion, from a skillset perspective, makes sense. Alexander-Arnold is arguably the best passer in world football, and has all of the traits you could possibly want out of a central midfielder.
Southgate tested that theory for England to admittedly mixed results. Alexander-Arnold was remarkably effective when the game slowed down, and he had time to ping the ball around.
But in frantic contests that required more positional discipline, he struggled. Well, with Carvajal around to play right-back, it might just be time for 'Trent in midfield' experiment to recommence – only this time at Real.
Getty Images SportLet Franco Mastantuono cook
The good thing about being a La Liga side is that you get to spend part of the season beta-testing, especially at home. Madrid are, quite simply, going to walk through a fair few games. In fact, if there's one thing that the sluggish season opener taught us, it's that Madrid can win without playing particularly well.
That would seem to leave space for some new faces to have a go. Enter Franco Mastantuono, who seemed, in a short burst, more than ready for the moment.
The former River Plate attacking midfielder has already had his moment with the Argentina national team, and should get plenty more looks as the Albiceleste usher in a new generation of talent to succeed Lionel Messi guy.
Perhaps his most valuable trait is his versatility. Nominally an attacking midfielder, Mastantuono can play pretty much anywhere. He showed as such in the season-opener, operating mostly on the right wing, and serving as a real bundle of energy.
He cut passing lanes, ran down defenders, and chased plenty of lost causes. A neat save denied him of what would have been a richly deserved debut goal. Whether he can start every game remains to be seen, but he has certainly made a case for some more minutes.