On Wednesday, Xabi Alonso managed Real Madrid’s first competitive game.
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Before coaching his first Real Madrid game, Xabi Alonso allegedly breached a Carlo Ancelotti custom.
When Madrid arrived in Miami on Wednesday to begin their FIFA Club World Cup campaign against Al Hilal, all eyes were on the Hard Rock Stadium.
Ruben Neves cancelled out Gonzalo Garcia’s first goal, and the match concluded in a 1-1 tie.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen played their first games for Los Blancos, and Alonso made his debut on the sidelines.
One of Ancelotti’s customs from his time as manager of Real Madrid seems to have been broken by Alonso before kickoff.
On their live blog, the Spanish news organization MARCA wrote: “Well… it seems that with Xabi Alonso we won’t know the Real Madrid starting eleven two hours before the start of the match.”
One fan responded on social media, writing: “Ancelotti would have dropped the line up by now.”
As one person put it, “Dear Xabi, please follow Madrid’s tradition or leave.”
“You are telling me that we need to get used to match lineups coming an hour before match now, like every other team,” a third supporter said. What woke gibberish is this?
“Carlo spoiled us with those early lineups,” another commenter said. In a subtle way, I thought that allowed our opponents more time to make adjustments.
“Lmao just realized we have lost our early starting 11 privileges!” said a fifth commenter. While it lasted, that was truly enjoyable.
“The second half was significantly better than the first half,” Alonso stated following the game. In the first period, both with and without the ball, we were deficient in a number of areas.
“We couldn’t establish a balance and were losing the ball too rapidly. We have discussed these topics, but it took us some time to fully understand them. The response at halftime thrilled me. We were able to give the game a fresh perspective, alter the tempo somewhat, and locate additional players to provide the proper rhythm and control.
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