Find a role for Trent Alexander-Arnold, get Vinicius Jr cooking & the six improvements Xabi Alonso will have to make to get Real Madrid back to the top

So, what do we make of all of this? Xabi Alonso is Real Madrid manager, the vibes look pretty good. He knows the club, has proved himself a top tactician, and has some of the best talent in the world at his disposal. Very few were expecting immediate success out of him, so a debut draw against Al-Hilal can certainly be forgiven.

But there wasn't a lot to cling onto in the performance. Dean Huijsen was really good at the back, but outside of him, no-one really stood out. Trent Alexander-Arnold didn't defend very well; Jude Bellingham spent a lot of time pointing and shouting; we are still waiting for Vinicius to come back "10 times if he has to".

It all points towards the fact that there's a lot of work to be done here. Madrid are still a good side, who will benefit from new ideas, a new manager and perhaps a couple more signings to bolster things. But they have made it clear in their transfer business thus far that they are here to win the Club World Cup. Some improvements, then, have to be immediate. And for all of the good vibes talk, and emphasis on "process", this is not a team that does well with waiting. GOAL looks at some of the improvements Alonso must make at the helm...