Real Madrid could be in trouble. Things aren't going well at the Santiago Bernabeu at the moment, and there is a real fear that they could finish the 2024-25 campaign without a trophy. That would be an immense failure for a club that brought in Kylian Mbappe last summer.
But there is reason to believe that some of this had been coming. Madrid were carried hard by Jude Bellingham at the end of 2023, and buoyed by Vinicius Jr in early 2024. And, crucially, Toni Kroos was there throughout it all, his metronomic pinging of the ball keeping Los Blancos afloat. None of that matters now, of course. Madrid are bad at football. Changes have to be made.
The ensuing moves are already underway. Carlo Ancelotti is already reportedly on his way out, with the Brazil job potentially beckoning. In turn, it seems that Xabi Alonso - long linked with the job - will come in - and he will have a serious task on his hands. Not only will be face the immense scrutiny of expectant fans, he will also be handed an awkwardly-assembled squad, with tons of talent and glaring holes.
Although Alonso has proved himself as a shrewd tactician with Bayer Leverkusen, this is by no means an easy assignment in just his second senior job in professional management. GOAL looks at the ways in which Alonso could set up his Real Madrid side...
