 |
Real Madrid is different now. |
This is no longer a team that lives on talent or stardom, but a machine that is learning to operate itself - through discipline, intelligence, and a philosophy that is gradually ingrained in its DNA.
From the first day he took over the team, Xabi Alonso did not chant slogans. He just said one simple but ambitious thing: "We want the fans to be proud. If we can inspire and create joy, then we will be an unstoppable force." After just a few games, people began to see that promise taking shape.
When Real Madrid plays football with intelligence
What's special about Xabi's team is that everything has a reason. There are no more individual plays, no more unorganized improvisation. Every move is part of a plan. Every player knows where he is – and why he is there.
Tchouameni - who is gradually asserting himself in midfield - admitted: "Thanks to the intelligence of the whole team, we can adapt as soon as the coach asks us to."
From their high pressing to their ability to reorganize their team without the ball, Real Madrid are playing like they've been playing this type of football for years - despite the fact that Xabi has only been in the hot seat for a few weeks.
Against Dortmund in the quarter-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™, Xabi once again showed absolute flexibility in tactics. Real played with a 4-2-3-1 formation when attacking, but quickly switched to a 5-3-2 when defending. Trent moved in as a right-sided center-back, Valverde dropped low to mark Adeyemi, completely paralyzing Dortmund.
What is most remarkable is the synchronization. There is no surprise, no disorientation. Every change is as smooth as if it were pre-programmed. Without the need for a single star to shine, Real Madrid wins by system.
 |
Xabi Alonso is building an identity for Real Madrid. |
But Xabi wasn't just building tactics. He was building identity – the hardest thing in top-flight football. In a dressing room as full of egos and prestige as Real's, that's a feat in itself. But Xabi did it: each player felt part of a “greater whole”.
The combination of discipline and freedom
What made Xabi special was the way he balanced creative freedom and tactical discipline. Players were allowed to move freely, but no one was allowed to break the structure. The key was “there had to be someone occupying the space – but not necessarily the same person all the time.”
That mindset requires absolute understanding, and so far, Xabi's students are doing it at a speed that makes every opponent wary.
Real Madrid are not without weaknesses. Tough nights will certainly come, opponents will try to destroy what Xabi has worked so hard to build. But there is one thing they cannot destroy: trust.
This is no longer a team that lives on individual ability. This is a team that lives on faith in the coach, in teammates, and in a football that is organized down to the last detail. When that faith becomes a collective strength, the result is no longer the most important thing - it is the journey to get there.
And that is the unstoppable force that Xabi Alonso is unleashing at the Bernabéu. Not with grand statements, but with a clear idea, one that everyone believes in - and fights for.
Source: https://znews.vn/real-madrid-dang-thang-bang-tri-tue-cua-xabi-alonso-post1566457.html
Comment (0)