Xabi Alonso began his era as coach of Real Madrid with his first La Liga game in charge at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu as his team ran out 1-0 winners in an unflattering victory over Osasuna. The only goal came courtesy of a penalty from Kylian Mbappé in the second half, after the Frenchman was hauled down in the box and he duly stepped up to add the finishing touch. Abel Bretones was then dismissed right at the death for an off-the-ball incident involving Gonzalo García, to add a touch of late drama to spice up proceedings.
1. Would Real Madrid make it 17 seasons in a row without a defeat on the opening day?
Real Madrid hadn’t lost an opening game of the season since 2008, when there was a 2-1 defeat to Deporitvo La Coruña. This was Los Blancos’ first time opening the season on home turf since 2018 given the ongoing stadium works. However, this wasn’t as easy a task as it could have seemed. Osasuna hadn’t lost in their opening game of the season in any of the past seven seasons either. Real Madrid looked more tired than they might at other times, the shortened pre-season and preparation time clearly having an impact even at this early stage, but still got the job done. It was an opening weekend win, even if it may not have been the most entertaining of victories.
2. How different would this be to Carlo Ancelotti’s team last season?
Sure, we had a taste of Real Madrid under Xabi Alonso at the Club World Cup, but seeing a team play in their domestic league competition on home turf is always different to playing up against the world elite on the opposite side of the globe with only a few days of preparation. The difference even from only a few weeks ago was immediately clear. The team had a much clearer understanding of Alonso’s approach and that was visible in how the team pressed from the very start, but they then struggled to break down Osasuna’s low block in a way which was reminiscent of so many fixtures last season. Much of the play came down the flanks, where Vinícius was particularly wasteful with his decision-making, going down easily and smashing his only shot of the night high and wide. There were signs of substantial improvement, but there is still work to do.
3. Would there be any surprises?
To put it frankly, no. Xabi Alonso was quite clear in his preparations for this game that there would be little room for surprises, and he stuck to that. The line-up which started against Osasuna was identical to the one which played in Austria in the team’s only pre-season friendly, with the one change seeing Dani Ceballos drop out for the fit-again Fede Valverde, as expected. Alonso had also spoken pre-match about his plan to give minutes to debutant Franco Mastantuono, and the Argentine got on int he first block of substitutions to replace Brahim Díaz on the right flank and immediately showed the power in his right boot.
1. How can Real Madrid break down a low block?
The choice of substitutions from Xabi Alonso was interesting, to introduce his unproven youngsters into the attack and end the game with Kylian Mbappé flanked by Franco Mastantuono and partnered by Gonzalo García. Starting either would have been a statement decision, but introducing them against tired Osasuna legs gave them an opportunity to prove a point, and García did exactly that by chasing down a loose ball to win a throw-in within moments of coming on. Adding more of that pace and energy, and directing more play through a more vertical approach of Mastantuono’s set pieces and García’s aerial prowess, could prove differential.
2. Who are the leaders in this team?
With no more Luka Modrić, with Dani Carvajal not a starter and with Antonio Rüdiger still suspended, there were none of the old guard on the field. Fede Valverde donned the captain’s armband as the most obvious leader, and Thibaut Courtois in goal maintains the core spine, but there’s a void for new leaders to step up in this Real Madrid team. One man who has stepped up is Aurélien Tchouameni. Having spent the entirety of the first drinks break talking to Tchouameni, it’s clear that Alonso views him as a key cog in the Real Madrid machine. Dictating the tempo in the holding role, this was Tchouameni back in his element in a role which he feels most comfortable in. He could be the man to step up in controlling play as a leader.
3. How can Xabi Alonso get more out of Vinicius Júnior?
Vinícius’ form has been a concern for Real Madrid for a while now, and so his performance on Tuesday night seemed to be nothing new. The Brazilian spent much of the game looking to take players on but failing to do so, running into dead ends, throwing himself to ground and appealing to referee Adrian Cordero. His only shot was high and wide, while his contribution at other times almost gifted Osasuna a dangerous counter-attack and also saw him take the ball out of play after controlling a long ball with his back. Yet still, his statistics look promising. He created two chances, and his defensive work rate was significantly up on last season. His early pressing, chasing the ball across the Osasuna back line and even to goalkeeper Sergio Herrera, showed a side to his game that was not present last season. At the time of his substitution, he had registered a match-high three tackles, more than anyone else on the field.
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