Stuck in a spiral of negative results, Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid look closer to the end than the beginning of a cycle. Yet many of the club’s issues are not the responsibility of the Basque coach.
Defensive problems
Antonio Rüdiger, Dean Huijsen, and Raúl Asensio. Those were the only defenders available against Alavés tonight. García and Carreras were suspended, while all the others are injured. With such an injury list, Xabi Alonso is forced to improvise internal solutions. Finding stability is far from easy, especially since the most convincing defender, Éder Militão, is sidelined until April 2026. In a department where chemistry and familiarity are crucial, this is a massive blow for Real Madrid.
While Huijsen’s return alongside an experienced Rüdiger may solve part of the issue, the German commits far too many fouls for a player of his stature and often falls into needless provocation that opponents no longer fear. Huijsen, for his part, still has much to learn.
The versatility of Federico Valverde offers a temporary fix, allowing him to fill in at right-back.
Lack of balance in midfield
Jude Bellingham disrupts one of Real Madrid’s most effective connections: the partnership between Arda Güler and Kylian Mbappé. Through quick combinations, one-twos, and Güler’s instinctive search for Mbappé’s runs in behind, the duo had found real chemistry. Since the English midfielder’s return, Güler has been deployed deeper, and the connection has faded. Bellingham now occupies Güler’s advanced role, but he lacks the same technical finesse and movement. Instead, Bellingham tends to make striker-like runs.
Ironically, when he plays in a deeper role more in line with his natural responsibilities, he dominates the midfield, as seen in the Clásico against Barcelona or the commanding performance in Bilbao.
Aurélien Tchouaméni remains the only midfielder performing at his expected level, but he is forced to cover large spaces and compensate for turnovers that expose Real Madrid to dangerous counterattacks.
No one scores behind Mbappé
Kylian Mbappé has already scored 16 goals in La Liga and is on pace for one of the best seasons of his career. Behind him, Vinícius has only five goals, and no other player has reached that mark. Behind Mbappé, no one scores, no one truly takes responsibility, despite the high volume of chances Real Madrid create. Before his goal against Manchester City, Rodrygo had gone 32 matches without scoring in all competitions.
In that same match against City, Mbappé’s absence was felt even more sharply given the glaring misses from Bellingham and Vinícius. As things stand, Real Madrid cannot win without Mbappé, and that is simply a fact.
While Xabi Alonso does bear some responsibility for Real Madrid’s poor run, many factors lie beyond his control. For a team in crisis, sitting second in La Liga (provided they win tonight) and still firmly in the race for direct qualification to the Champions League is far from disastrous.
Table of La Liga
| 1 | Barcelona | 43 |
| 2 | Real | 36 |