Who is Xabi Alonso? How Can His Tactics Transform Real Madrid?

Bayer Leverkusen has officially confirmed Xabi Alonso will leave at the end of this season, with the Spanish maestro, who is expected to take charge of Los Blancos at the Santiago Bernabeu, following Carlo Ancelotti’s departure. Ancelotti reclaimed La Liga glory and clinched a historic double last season, and is set to leave behind towering expectations. But the club’s hierarchy believes Alonso’s fresh perspective and deep-rooted connection to the club will make him the ideal successor. Xabi can bridge the gap that has been created this season and can transition Los Blancos back to winning ways.

This announcement comes after months of speculation. With his evolutionary work at Bayer Leverkusen, he led them to their first-ever Bundesliga title in 2023/24, which cemented his status as Europe’s most in-demand young manager.

Although several high-profile manager names were in discussions and in rumours for the last few months, including former Madrid midfielder Raul Gonzalez, who is currently coaching Castilla, as well as ex-Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, for the role.

However, Xabi Alonso’s deep understanding, tactical innovation, and love for Madrid made him the most suitable candidate to replace someone like Carlo Ancelotti, who has done so much for the club. Even league rivals Bayern Munich and the EPL champions, Liverpool, expressed their interest in the 42-year-old.

Xabi Alonso’s Style of Play and Tactics

Real Madrid under Carlo Ancelotti mastered an effective 4-3-3 formation. This formation provides a near-perfect blend of defensive stability with quick counter-attacking. Now let’s decode how Ancelotti used to implement this formation, which won him so many trophies at Real Madrid.

Let’s start from the back, with two solid defenders at the back, he uses his right back and left back as wing backs to provide more depth going forward. Moving on to the midfield, where he used Aurelien Tchouameni as a defensive or holding midfield to provide more defensive stability, while Valverde dictates the pace of the game. Jude Bellingham was used as an attacking midfielder behind the attacking trio of Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe, and Rodrygo.

While Xabi Alonso’s style of play, however, promises a bold evolution. Alonso prioritizes numerical overloads in central zones, using inverted wing-backs and a double pivot to control games. His approach is less about reactive counters and more about suffocating opponents with sustained possession and intelligent movement.

For Madrid, this could mean transitioning from Ancelotti’s verticality to Alonso’s horizontal play, stretching teams laterally with overlapping wing-backs and rotating forwards.

Build-up: During an asymmetric 1-4-2-3-1 formation with one striker, one winger, 2 number-10s, and no left winger, where his players (seven players) used to build up plays from the back. This usual formation often allowed his team to have a numerical superiority to build and connect plays from back to front. This formation forced Leverkusen to focus their play on one side, leaving the other side wide open to shift play and launch a quick attack.

While Xabi also implements high build-up formation time-to-time, which provides more stability and control. In this high build-up formation, he has three defenders at the back, two wing-backs (for overlapping runs and to provide width for midfielders), two midfielders, and an attacking trio at the front. With this formation intact, his players have more time for passing combinations in the middle, thanks to their numerical advantage, which helped Bayer Leverkusen to have more possession-based play.

Trophies and Achievements as a Manager

On October 5th, 2022, Xabi Alonso was appointed as the new head coach of Bayer Leverkusen. In his first season, he took control of Bayer, which was having its worst ever start to the season since 1979.

During their first European semi-final in 21 years, his team was eliminated at the hands of his former manager, Jose Mourinho (who was leading Roma). Apart from that, he has guided his club to clinch their first-ever league title in history (Bundesliga), the DFB-Pokal in 2023-24, and one DFL-Supercup in 2024. These are a few significant titles he has won during his short yet successful managerial career so far.

Is Xabi Alonso the right fit for Real Madrid?

Xabi Alonso is the right fit for Real Madrid right now. His adaptability aligns perfectly with Real Madrid’s young squad. With veterans like Dani Carvajal and Luka Modric nearing retirement, Alonso’s knack for nurturing youth (as seen with Leverkusen’s core) will be vital. The club, filled with upcoming superstars, consisting of Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Arda Güler, will perfectly fit Xabi Alonso’s tactics.

Moreover, his legacy at the club grants him instant respect in the locker room, which is a crucial factor, where player power & influence have toppled past managers. His calm demeanor and tactical flexibility also suit the pressure-cooker environment. However, challenges loom large: balancing star egos and maintaining consistency in La Liga and Europe. If given patience and backing, Alonso could reignite Madrid’s dominance for a long time.

How could Real Madrid’s lineup look under Xabi Alonso?

With Xabi Alonso’s 3-4-3 formation and efficient attacking style, here’s how Real Madrid could line up in the La Liga and UEFA Champions League matches. Thibaut Courtois is expected to start as their custodian. He is placed third in the Golden Glove race with the most clean sheets in the La Liga 2024/25 campaign. Three-man defence is expected to consist of Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, and Raul Asensio as the first-choice names.

The wingback duties would be performed by Ferland Mendy (Valverde can also be used as a wingback) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (who is expected to join them at the end of the season from Liverpool), while the pivot role would be played by Valverde and Jude Bellingham. The attacking trio will undoubtedly be of Vinicius Junior on the left side, while Rodrygo or Arda Guler on the right side, with the sole striker, Kylian Mbappe, at the front.