Xabi Alonso considers 25-year-old star indispensable in his starting XI | OneFootball

With every passing game, the vision Xabi Alonso has for Real Madrid gets clearer.

At this point, it is glaringly obvious that he wishes for his team to play a very vibrant brand of football with a serious attacking threat.

In recent games, the manager has preferred a setup with the full-backs pushing high and acting virtually as midfielders with the defensive midfielder dropping back and aiding in defence instead.

Such a setup, needless to say, compensates for the attacking potential with a three-man backline and revolves around the pivot’s ability and decision-making.

The key piece

It comes as no surprise that the new manager was pushing for the signing of a new defensive midfielder and that Real Madrid were linked with the likes of Martin Zubimendi and Rodri.

In the end, however, Alonso has had to make use of Aurelien Tchouameni as his option in the pivot position and the youngster has not disappointed.

Tchouameni is indispensable for Xabi Alonso. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)

As relayed by AS in a recent report, Alonso now sees Tchouameni to be indispensable in his plans and thus a guaranteed starter in Real Madrid’s lineup.

In fact, the manager trusts the midfielder so much so that he has given him a free hand to decide when to play in midfield and when to drop back into a central defensive role.

In a system that is so brutally attacking and pressing, defensive stability on the counter is of paramount importance. Tchouameni’s decision-making, thus, becomes game-changing and the manager’s trust in him speaks volumes about his quality.

The 25-year-old started and played over an hour in Real Madrid’s preseason friendly against WSG Tirol last night and even had an assist to show for his performance.

In terms of his position, however, he showed a great understanding of the manager’s requirement and was rock solid in the middle of the park.