What’s the collective mood heading into the new season and a new era under Xabi Alonso?
Lucas Navarrete: I’m as excited as I’ve been in around a decade, looking forward to Xabi Alonso implementing exciting coaching ideas and seeing Real Madrid play quality and entertaining football on a consistent basis. Work needs to be done still, as the opening game against Osasuna showed us, but I really think Xabi has the right mindset for the job and while I’d like for the board to give him two more signings, I believe we will have some fun.
Kiyan Sobhani: Cautious optimism and excitement. I’ve
longed for a day where there is more reliance on the collective rather than an Avenger putting the team on his back. Real Madrid will always need superheroes in their team, but having them cook should be a bonus. Thibaut Courtois can’t be your best player every game, and the fact that we barely even saw Courtois’s existence against Osasuna was highly encouraging for me. Many were disappointed by the performance in the league opener — but I saw clear tactical improvements in the team’s defense. The offense will come. Let Alonso figure it out.
Matt Wiltse: Hopeful. Everyone is looking for progress this season. Madrid is not expected to sweep the treble, but the goal is that Xabi can help provide some structure and principles of play without losing the Real Madrid ethos of shapeshifting and allowing players to express themselves creatively. Some of the excitement may have been tempered down due to the PSG debacle but with more time under his belt and few more new faces, Xabi is expected to produce a much-improved Real Madrid vs last year.
Sam Leveridge: Excitement, but with trepidation. Most Real Madrid fans recognize the scale of the task at Xabi Alonso’s hands, but the Club World Cup was a good example of how the team is not ready to compete among the elite. There’s a new system to implement, and very different, and that will take time to perfect. Even so, Alonso is the best man for the job, and with a spine which includes the likes of Thibaut Courtois, Dean Huijsen, Fede Valverde and Kylian Mbappé, that’s a core which will be able to challenge for several years to come with players at the very highest level.
Mehedi Hassan: I am beyond excited. The Leverkusen sample size is big enough to be excited. Xabi Alonso is a serious manager, a winner––he strikes the perfect balance as he knows the club inside-out. The growing pains of seeing more drastic changes compared to Carlo Ancelotti’s final season are totally worth it. Xabi Alonso has a very young squad––at least, the majority of the roster is eager to learn and adapt to his methods. There is no traditional pre-season in the football calendar anymore, so we need to have some patience.
Where do you expect Real’s title challenge to hinge—midfield, defense, or the attack?”
Lucas Navarrete: For me it’s the midfield line. I’m excited about Arda Güler, but I want to see if he has what it takes to lead Real Madrid’s midfield week in and week out and also against elite opposition. I’m not sure he’s that kind of player, but Xabi seems willing to embrace the challenge and give him the keys. Güler’s performances and whether or not he’s able to be the kind of player I just mentioned will likely decide the season.
Kiyan Sobhani: I don’t think there is only one answer to this. It’s all connected. The success of the defensive line will be directly related to how the first line of attackers lead the press, and the success of the attack will be directly related to how the ball progression from the back is funnelled. Conversely, the success of creative midfielders like Arda Güler will be directly related to how good the attackers cut into the box to provide an outlet.
But if I had to take the easy way out for this answer: We need the best version of Vinicius to return, and if he doesn’t, Alonso will have to make some difficult decisions.
Matt Wiltse: Defense. The team conceded 12 more goals in La Liga 2024/25 compared to the prior season. The target should be to return to around 30 goals conceded. With a completely new back four to start the season, adequate health and depth, and an upgrade in player quality—regardless of any additional structural improvements from the new tactical framework—Madrid should improve defensively
Sam Leveridge: Midfield. Real Madrid’s defense is as strong as they come with the new additions, and the attack is stacked with offensive quality. The challenge will be getting the most out of a midfield that can support both, and is the area of the squad which hasn’t been backed with high-profile signings in recent years. Eduardo Camavinga and Arda Güler could both prove to be crucial players in that, but they both need big seasons, or questions could be asked about their role at the club going beyond next summer.
Mehedi Hassan: The midfield. Madrid have made reinforcements in defense and attack (I am considering Franco Mastantuono as more of an attacker than a midfielder), but the midfield is thinner. Luka Modric left, Jude Bellingham is out for another couple of months, and Eduardo Camavinga’s fitness cannot be trusted. It will be important how Xabi Alonso navigates through this.
What tactical concept or principle of play will be Alonso biggest impact on the squad?
Lucas Navarrete: Possession control and creation from the defensive line. From what we’ve seen so far, Xabi wants to implement a possession-oriented style. He will need creativity and sharp decision-making from his wingers and midfielder in order to create quality chances against low blocks, but Xabi sure seems to be a fan of keeping the ball and pressing very high up the pitch whenever you turn it over.
Kiyan Sobhani: No question, positional play. Far too often last season Real Madrid were never in good position to pounce on loose balls. They were positionally inferior to every elite opponent they came up against.
Matt Wiltse: Winning the ball back quickly—through counter-pressing and strong ‘rest defense’ (the positions players occupy in possession to prepare for a turnover)—has been a clear point of emphasis. Xabi’s first focus has been drilling tighter, more compact defensive lines, moving as a unit, and regaining possession immediately after losing it. While this philosophy has historically been difficult to implement at Real Madrid, Xabi appears intent on persisting.
Sam Leveridge: The use of the full-backs. Álvaro Carreras and Trent Alexander-Arnold arrive not only as new players, but players who play a very different role to what Real Madrid used under Carlo Ancelotti or even before him. Both are much more dynamic options than Dani Carvajal or Ferland Mendy, and an upgrade on Fran García, and can offer real value both offensively and defensively. That could be the key to getting the most out of those playing further ahead of them, as well as shoring up the defense.
Mehedi Hassan: It will sound like a cliché, but pressing and counterpressing is the answer. At its backbone, the concept remains simple–win the ball high up the pitch, keep it there, so that not only are you closer to your goal, but your opponent is farther away from theirs. Formations are only a theoretical concept in the present day: 3-4-3, 3-5-2, 4-3-3––every formation can morph into another one, but getting the team to cohesively and consistently press with efficiency could take this team to a level we may not have witnessed so far.
What is your “hot take”?
Lucas Navarrete: Huijsen’s importance in this team will match Mbappe’s, Bellingham’s or Valverde’s.
Kiyan Sobhani: Arda Güler will lead La Liga in assists
Matt Wiltse: Ferland Mendy and David Alaba end up adding value to the squad and show up in big matches after injuries and suspensions to other players. ***Bonus: By the spring, Gonzalo Garcia will be Xabi Alonso’s Park Ji-Sung and enter the starting XI for big games in place of one of the “super stars”.
Sam Leveridge: Kylian Mbappé will be prioritised over Vinícius Júnior, and Xabi Alonso won’t be able to make room for both. More than just with Xabi’s pressing set-up, this hinges on two players who both want to be the protagonist on and off the ball, and this system can’t carry two players. It’s a situation which was building all through last season, and Vini’s poor form over the last 10 months has led to growing fan frustration and, combined with a popular coach with ambitious plans for the future, could be the only way that he will be displaced.
Mehedi Hassan: Real Madrid will hit 100 points in LaLiga this season.
Give us your predictions for:
A) Unsung hero of the season
Lucas Navarrete: Álvaro Carreras.
Kiyan Sobhani: Eder Militao
Matt Wiltse: Fede Valverde
Sam Leveridge: Aurélien Tchouameni. I said him last season, and I think this season he has an even stronger case. He’s clearly taking on a leadership role in terms of the team’s play, whether in the holding midfield role in his best position, or dropping back into a back three, and that is what he’s been building towards. Effectively playing in the role Alonso played in himself, this could be a season of real progression for him. Real Madrid don’t have another player like him in the squad, and if he is absent at all for a prolonged period, that might be the only time he gets the credit he deserves.
Mehedi Hassan: Fede Valverde
B) MIP (most improved)
Lucas Navarrete: Arda Güler.
Kiyan Sobhani: Arda Güler
Matt Wiltse: Kylian Mbappe
Sam Leveridge: Gonzalo García. He already has four times more minutes under Xabi Alonso than he ever got under Carlo Ancelotti. He’s set to take on the Joselu role, and that could be an important one in Xabi’s system where more of an old-school number nine can certainly have a role to play. His impact on the system has already shown early on and I think Real Madrid’s offense looks more cohesive when he’s on the field.
Mehedi Hassan: Gonzalo García
C) MVP
Lucas Navarrete: Kylian Mbappé
Kiyan Sobhani: Kylian Mbappé
Matt Wiltse: Dean Huijsen
Sam Leveridge: Kylian Mbappé. Considering he didn’t truly get up and running until October last season and still managed 44 goals, this season will show how important he is again. He’s the man who leads the way on and off the field in terms of being the star, and his performances and numbers are backing that up. He’s the one exception I can see Xabi Alonso making to his system to get the most out of his individual talents.
Mehedi Hassan: Kylian Mbappé
Give us your final season predictions: Standings in La Liga, Copa, and UCL
Lucas Navarrete: LaLiga champions, Champions League exit in the Semifinals, Copa del Rey champions.
Kiyan Sobhani: La Liga champions, Champions League champions, Copa del Rey semi-finals
Matt Wiltse: La Liga runner-up, Champions League Quarter-Finals, Copa del Rey champion
Sam Leveridge: La Liga: 2nd. Copa del Rey: Winners. Champions League: Semi-final.
Barcelona look strong and have already had some time to adapt to Hansi Flick’s approach, whereas Real Madrid will need some time to get to full firepower with the Xabi Alonso philosophy. I expect Real Madrid to lose very few games this season, but can see there being enough frustrating draws to cost them in a very competitive title race. With that in mind, a Copa del Rey run might be the new coach’s best bet to ensure that he gets his hands on a trophy early on, and his track record in cup competitions is strong.
Mehedi Hassan: LaLiga: Champions | CdR: Champions | UCL: Don’t want to jinx it
