Tag: Real Madrid

Real Madrid might be pivoting to a Xabi Alonso favorite on the market
19Jun By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Transfers

Real Madrid might be pivoting to a Xabi Alonso favorite on the market

Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has three new signings to work with already in defenders Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold, as well as Argentinian phenom Franco Mastantuono in the playmaker role. These are three potentially world-class signings, but they still don't solve all the problems Real Madrid have after a poor summer 2024 transfer window in which Florentino Perez rested on his laurels with only Kylian Mbappe as an addition - and in the one area that wasn't remotely a weakness. Real Madrid still need midfield controllers and a No. 9 who can play a more traditional striker role to bring extra goals, but their biggest remaining weakness is easily at the left back position. Ferland Mendy's injury woes have caused a precipitous decline, while Fran Garcia has shown that he...
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Xabi Alonso, Real Madrid fundamentally disagree on a key signing
19Jun By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Transfers

Xabi Alonso, Real Madrid fundamentally disagree on a key signing

The Xabi Alonso era at Real Madrid got off to a predictably rough start on Wednesday afternoon in the United States, as the Merengues could only muster a 1-1 draw against Simone Inzaghi's Saudi Pro League giants, Al-Hilal. Real Madrid were outplayed for vast stretches of the game, and a familiar issue cropped up for the team in this Club World Cup opener; Real Madrid failed to have any real control over the game. It will take some time for the Royal Whites to adapt to Alonso's coaching style and shake off the bad habits of the last season under Carlo Ancelotti, but it will also take a few more key signings in order for Real Madrid to have the right squad for its new coach after going trophyless in the 2024/25 season. Real Madrid have already added a new right back in Trent Alexand...
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Club legend proved Real Madrid would have won trophy if they signed him
19Jun By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Analysis

Club legend proved Real Madrid would have won trophy if they signed him

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has been a great leader for the club, especially in his second stint as president after he learned from his previous mistakes during the Galacticos era. Unfortunately, despite all the Champions League titles and records broken by the president at Real Madrid, he has remained a creature of habit in a couple of annoying ways. Firstly, he doesn't like to listen to his managers when they offer signings. Secondly, he prefers to go after attacking players rather than defensive players, which very much hurt Real Madrid in the 2024/25 season. And finally, he doesn't like sequels. All these three things conspired against Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos, who left the club after the 2020/21 season because Los Blancos weren't going to offer him a two-yea...
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Thibaut Courtois tells inconvenient truth about Carlo Ancelotti and Xabi Alonso
18Jun By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Real Madrid News

Thibaut Courtois tells inconvenient truth about Carlo Ancelotti and Xabi Alonso

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, we...
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Xabi Alonso proves he understands Kylian Mbappe better than Carlo Ancelotti
18Jun By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Real Madrid News

Xabi Alonso proves he understands Kylian Mbappe better than Carlo Ancelotti

Real Madrid superstar forward Kylian Mbappe faced an awful lot of criticism in his first season with the Royal Whites, especially in the first few months, which, upon reflection, is no real surprise given his own stature and the normally high expectations placed around the club. The fact that Real's attack was outshone by Barcelona as they floundered in all competitions in a trophyless season, losing to their rivals four out of four times, certainly didn't help the perception around Mbappe. But any reasonable person will say that Mbappe had a great first season at the Santiago Bernabeu in spite of the poor performances of his teammates, as Mbappe led LaLiga and all of European football with 31 goals. Remarkably enough, it was the first time in his career that Mbappe won the European ...
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Xabi Alonso turned Real Madrid’s biggest crisis into a potential strength
17Jun By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Real Madrid News

Xabi Alonso turned Real Madrid’s biggest crisis into a potential strength

Ever since his announcement as the next Real Madrid manager, there has been an immense amount of optimism from the fanbase towards the new Xabi Alonso era at the club. Although Alonso is taking over for a manager who brought three Champions League titles to Real Madrid, including the historic Decima and the club's first title win after losing Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus, there's a pervasive sense that the Spanish international is an upgrade over Don Carlo. Alonso brought Bayer Leverkusen to the pinnacle of German football, posting an undefeated 2023/24 season while coaching some of the biggest breakouts in European football, such as left back Alex Grimaldo and midfielder Exequiel Palacios. And now, even before coaching a single game for Real Madrid, there's a strong belief among...
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Xabi Alonso is already making the most important changes for Real Madrid
17Jun By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Real Madrid News

Xabi Alonso is already making the most important changes for Real Madrid

Real Madrid won two Champions League titles in Carlo Ancelotti's second stint as manager, but despite cries from outside Spain that Madridistas are too harsh towards the legendary manager, there were very few regrets or disagreements among the fanbase at the club's decision to part ways with Don Carlo. The reality is that the squad became far too undisciplined, reliant on a few individual superstars, and increasingly fractured. Even those moments of individual brilliance from player like Vinicius Junior became fewer and further between, and nobody could bail Real out of four Clasico losses and a trophyless season. Entering the picture is a former Real Madrid star in Xabi Alonso, who was a crucial anchor for the first Ancelotti-led side that brought the Champions League back to the Sp...
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Xabi Alonso is already snubbing Rodrygo Goes
16Jun By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Real Madrid News

Xabi Alonso is already snubbing Rodrygo Goes

No star player on Real Madrid has been mired in more transfer rumor and innuendo than star forward Rodrygo Goes, who, quite frankly, is no longer at star status at Real Madrid. With the arrival of Kylian Mbappe, there was a narrative at the beginning of the season that left Rodrygo out of the spotlight, and teammates like Jude Bellingham were quick to point out to the media that the two-time Champions League winner was very much a vital part of the team. But Rodrygo ended up being the odd one out with Mbappe starring, as the Brazilian international slumped to a flat-out unacceptable six goals and five assists in 22 starts and 30 total appearances as a Real Madrid starter. Immediately before the season ended, there were already transfer rumors about Rodrygo, and there were even rep...
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Real Madrid are trying to sign their next Joselu for nearly nothing
13Jun By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Transfers

Real Madrid are trying to sign their next Joselu for nearly nothing

Real Madrid have already upgraded their defense by signing starting-caliber Premier League studs Trent Alexander-Arnold at right back and Dean Huijsen at center back. They've even landed the next big thing in terms of young South American prospects from the Juni Calafat tree, as Franco Mastantuono is all but official as the next Real Madrid gem. So Real's upcoming focus on the summer transfer market is a goal-scoring striker: a steely veteran who finds the back of the net and does nothing else but find the back of the net as the Merengue No. 9. They have been wanting to target a profile similar to that of Joselu, who was a reliable source of goals off the bench or in games when an out-and-out striker was needed. Without his heroics against Bayern Munich, Real Madrid would not have...
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Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Celta Vigo in the 2025 Copa del Rey Round of 16
16Jan By Kevin ParviziNo Comments
Player Ratings

Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Celta Vigo in the 2025 Copa del Rey Round of 16

Here are the player ratings as Real Madrid defeat Celta Vigo 5-2 in the Round of 16 of the Copa del Rey in 2025 at the Santiago Bernabeu. GK Andriy Lunin, 5.5 Lucky not to have conceded a penalty in the first half with a foolhardy lunge that usually gets called. As a goalkeeper, you can't dive in without making contact with the ball, and most referees around the world will call that a penalty against the keeper. Lunin can't make that mistake again, otherwise he won't be so fortunate. And again, he nearly conceded another goal, bobbling the ball directly into Jonathan Bamba's path. Luckily for him, Bamba was offsides. He had a really nice save of a swerving shot from distance, but it wasn't enough to keep a clean sheet, thanks to an inexcusably errant pass from Eduardo Camavinga (an...
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