Real Madrid Embrace New Identity: Takeaways From Xabi Alonso’s First Training Session | OneFootball

Xabi Alonso completed his first training session in charge of Real Madrid, ushering the biggest club in the world into a new era.

Real Madrid bid farewell to the legendary Carlo Ancelotti in May to welcome Alonso back to the Spanish capital. The former Bayer Leverkusen manager, who won six titles with Los Blancos as a player, is now tasked with leading Real Madrid back to the top of Spain and Europe following a disappointing 2024–25 season.

Alonso officially took charge of the team on June 1 and held his first training session eight days later. Many of the new manager’s best players were absent from the session, though, due to injury or international duty, including Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Aurélien Tchouaméni.

Still, Alonso arrived at Valdebebas ready to work with his new team ahead of Real Madrid’s first match in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup on June 18.

Here’s four takeaways from the Spaniard’s first training session at Real Madrid.

High Intensity Training Took Center Stage

Alonso did not take it easy on Real Madrid in his first training session in charge. The Spaniard, who spent over 10 hours at Valdebebas, was all over the pitch with his new players, working on demanding exercises and drills.

MARCA report ball release was the “main focus of the training” before the exercises “focused on pressing,” both in the midfield and across the entire pitch. The latter will be a focal point for Alonso moving forward if he wants to get Real Madrid back to championship glory.

One of the team’s biggest weaknesses in Ancelotti’s final campaign was its reluctance to press after losing the ball. The work-rate of many players on the pitch, including Vinícius Júnior and Mbappé, was subpar at best.

After almost every important fixture ended in defeat, statistics revealed just how little Real Madrid were willing to run. Perhaps the most glaring example came in Real Madrid’s 3–0 defeat to Arsenal in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. At the Emirates, Los Blancos covered 101.2 kilometers (62.8 miles) compared to the Gunners’ 113.9 kilometers (70.8 miles).

Far too often, Real Madrid were content to sit back and allow other teams to enjoy prolonged spells of possession. Alonso, though, appears determined to instill a new identity to the team.

Encouraging Signs From Dani Carvajal, Éder Militão

After missing out on virtually the entire 2024–25 season, Dani Carvajal and Éder Militão were full participants in Alonso’s first training session. The two defenders, who each suffered an ACL injury at the beginning of last season, looked healthy, strong and ready to potentially feature in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

The return of the two veterans is a huge boost for Alonso. Although Real Madrid signed Dean Huijsen and Alexander-Arnold this summer, they still need depth at both center back and right back if they want to once again top La Liga and the Champions League.

Although it is still unclear what formation Alonso wishes to implement at Real Madrid, he will need both Carvajal and Militão regardless; with such an action-packed calendar that kicks off just one month after the FIFA Club World Cup, depth and experience will carry Los Blancos to success across all competitions.

David Alaba also featured in the training session, though his future at the club remains uncertain. The injury-prone Austrian will likely be the one center back overlooked in Alonso’s tenure.

Rodrygo Appears Committed to Real Madrid

Rodrygo has been at the center of transfer speculation this summer after a poor 2024–25 campaign. The winger only found the back of the net once in his final 22 appearances of the season before he missed out the team’s last few matches due to injury.

Although Arsenal and Chelsea were reportedly interested in signing the Brazilian this summer, Rodrygo appears to be sticking it out at Real Madrid (at least for now). The 24-year-old looked in good spirits at Valdebebas and had the entire training session to begin impressing Alonso.

A fresh start under the Spaniard would be the best case scenario for Rodrygo, but the winger still has a lot to prove to his new manager. Real Madrid looked their best last season with just Vinícius Júnior and Mbappé up top, and Alonso might feel inclined to stick with a two-man attack at the expense of Rodrygo.

The good news for Rodrygo is that without many of Real Madrid’s superstar attackers in Spain at the minute, the Brazilian has little competition on the training grounds.

Young Talent Gets Their Chance to Impress

With so many first-team players either out injured or still on international duty, several youngsters got the chance to participate in Alonso’s training session. Along with Raúl Asencio, who previously rose to the first team after impressing at Real Madrid Castilla, 18-year-old Diego Aguado and 19-year-old Youssef Lekhedim found themselves learning from Alonso.

Both teenagers are promising defenders that will likely make Real Madrid’s 2025 FIFA Club World Cup squad. Aguado is the more versatile of the two defenders; the left-footed Spaniard can play as a center back or a left back.

Lekhedim is also a left back, giving Alonso two new options at the position while Ferland Mendy recovers from a serious muscle injury. With the club unable to sign Álvaro Carreras in time for this summer’s tournament, Alonso will need a backup left back to rotate with Fran García.

This summer’s tournament is the perfect time for the two young players to show what they could bring to the first team. Should Real Madrid fail to sign Carreras from Benfica, then Aguado or Lekhedim could find themselves getting regular call-ups so long as they impress in training and at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.