Real Madrid didn’t get off to a hot start in their first match under Xabi Alonso, as the Merengues could only muster a 1-1 draw with Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in their first match of the group stage of the 2025 Club World Cup.
Los Blancos labored through the hot conditions without an ill Kylian Mbappe to lead the line, and they were almost completely overrun in the first half with only a surprise goal from surprise academy starting striker Gonzalo Garcia to save them in the end.
Even a dubious penalty call won by Fran Garcia in the final minutes of the game couldn’t help Real Madrid, as Alonso subbed all of Real’s top attackers off, leaving Fede Valverde as the only option to tamely hit a penalty that former LaLiga star Bono saved with relative ease.
Real Madrid, in truth, were fortunate to have even gotten a point out of the match against Al-Hilal, as they were thoroughly outplayed by Simone Inzaghi’s men and showed their fans that they have a lot of work to do before they can say that they are back on track as a team.
Thibaut Courtois always speaks from his heart
One player publicly admitted as much. Real Madrid star goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is always good for a candidate quote, as he speaks from the heart and pulls no punches when it comes to holding himself and the team accountable with constructive criticism.
After the dismal display against Al-Hilal, Courtois reminded reporters that Real Madrid need time in order to undo the bad habits that former manager Carlo Ancelotti instilled in them, via The Madrid Zone:
“After 4 years with Ancelotti, we learned some habits that are difficult to change in 4 days. Xabi wants different ways to defend and attack. We are watching videos and talking a lot. We will learn from this game.”
On the one hand, Courtois is absolutely right and did a great job of setting realistic expectations for both his teammates and his new coach, coming appropriately to Alonso’s defense.
Carlo Ancelotti made Real Madrid lazy last season
But goodness was that a shot at Ancelotti, with whom Courtois won both of his career Champions League titles. Ancelotti clearly had his flaws and needed to go, but Courtois really didn’t hold back on his former manager at all.
Nothing he said is false, though. Under Ancelotti, Real Madrid became indolent and lethargic, and that’s exactly how they looked for most of the stretches against Al-Hilal, failing to exert any control of the game while not understanding how to press the way Alonso wants.
That will, of course, all change in a matter of time, but it will take time for Real Madrid to improve in this regard. Credit to Courtois for being honest about how Real Madrid need to improve, and there should also be credit given to the players for not scapegoating Alonso.
It will take time for the new project to gel. Real Madrid were woeful at times last season, and their flaws can’t be fixed in one game by the new coach. What they showed against Al-Hilal was exactly the problems they showed throughout the 2024/25 season under Don Carlo.
The editor of A Trip to Cibeles for Real Madrid, Joe Soriano helped manage The Real Champs covering Real Madrid as a dedicated writer from 2019 to 2022, making it one of the biggest team soccer sites on the web. He currently also runs the world soccer site The Trivela Effect, the Tottenham site Hotspur HQ, and a pro wrestling site called Let Them Wrestle.