Trent Alexander-Arnold Underwhelms in Real Madrid Debut: Takeaways From Draw vs. Al Hilal | OneFootball

Real Madrid kicked off Xabi Alonso’s reign with a disappointing 1–1 draw against Al Hilal.

After bidding farewell to club legend Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid welcomed Alonso back to the Spanish capital to get a struggling Real Madrid side back to championship-winning form. His first test in charge of the biggest club in the world came at the FIFA Club World Cup against the Saudi Pro League runners-up.

Los Blancos got on the scoresheet in the 34th minute after Rodrygo linked up with Real Madrid Castilla product Gonzalo García on the counter attack. Al Hilal found an equalizer just seven minutes later, though, after converting from the spot just before halftime.

Real Madrid had the opportunity to win the match in the second half, but Fede Valverde’s penalty was saved by Bono. The Spanish giants were forced to settle for a point in Alonso’s debut on the touchline.

Here’s three takeaways from Real Madrid’s FIFA Club World Cup opener below.

Trent Alexander-Arnold Disappoints in His Real Madrid Debut

Trent Alexander-Arnold made his Real Madrid debut against Al Hilal. / IMAGO/Sportimage

All eyes were on Trent Alexander-Arnold when Real Madrid kicked off at Hard Rock Stadium. The former Liverpool man got the nod on the right flank, sporting Marcelo’s legendary number 12 shirt. After a season of Lucas Vázquez and Fede Valverde taking turns at right back, the upgrade to Alexander-Arnold produced palpable excitement throughout the Spanish capital.

Except the 26-year-old failed to leave his mark in his debut. In fact, the narrative quickly centered around Alexander-Arnold’s defending. Just 18 minutes into his tenure in a white shirt, the England international headed the ball right to Salem Al-Dawsari, who then blew by the defender into the final third.

Alexander-Arnold was left racing after the winger, allowing Renan Lodi to get in behind and score the opening goal of the match. The effort was wiped away for offsides, but the warning bells were certainly sounded.

There were bright spots to Alexander-Arnold’s performance, though, including several pinpoint, seeking balls to both Rodrygo and Vinícius Júnior up top. He also made up for his early shaky defending when he locked down Al-Dawsari on a threating counter attack just before halftime.

Still, with the hype surrounding the transfer, Alexander-Arnold had a debut to forget. The new signing only lasted 65 minutes before Alonso replaced him with Vázquez.

Xabi Alonso’s Unexpected Lineup Pays Off

Gonzalo García scored the first goal of the Xabi Alonso era. / IMAGO/NurPhoto

With Kylian Mbappé ruled out of the match due to sickness, Alonso had the first of many major decisions to make as Real Madrid’s new boss. The 43-year-old opted to start 21-year-old García in place of the Pichichi Trophy and European Golden Boot winner, a move almost no one saw coming.

The Real Madrid Castilla soon product proved his worth to his new manager. The forward was off to the races in transition and got on the end of Rodrygo’s cross inside the penalty area. García then sent a calm finish into the back of the net to bag the first goal of the Alonso era.

The sequence also shined a light on Rodrygo, whose future at Real Madrid has been scrutinized over the last few months. The Brazilian finished the 2024–25 campaign with just one goal in 22 appearances and often found himself benched or the first man off the pitch in Los Blancos’ biggest matches down the stretch.

Rodrygo looked back to his old self, though, making darting runs down the right-hand side of the pitch and creating chances for Real Madrid. He arguably put in a better performance than Vinícius Júnior.

If Alonso sticks with the 24-year-old moving forward, Arda Güler will once again find himself reduced to a substitute role despite his brilliant second half cameo. García, meanwhile, was named the Superior Player of the Match for his impressive performance.

Real Madrid Momentarily Experiment With a Back Three

Xabi Alonso was animated on the touchline for Real Madrid. / IMAGO/Sportimage

It only took 45 minutes in charge of Real Madrid for Alonso to revert to his favored back three. The former Bayer Leverkusen manager pulled Raúl Asencio at halftime and replaced him with Güler to give his attack a much-needed spark.

Aurélien Tchouaméni then dropped back alongside Huijsen and Fran García while Alexander-Arnold moved into a more advanced role in the midfield. Real Madrid then enjoyed their best spell of the entire game, completely pinning Al Hilal into their own half.

Even though Real Madrid could not find the back of the net, they created more chances in the opening 15 minutes of the second half than they had in the entire first half. Had it not been for the woodwork and a few great saves from Bono, Los Blancos would have scored the go-ahead goal while trying out a back three.

Real Madrid reverted to a back four once Alexander-Arnold came off the pitch in the 65th minute. Still, Alonso showed he is certainly not afraid to experiment with his new side, especially when they needed more of an attacking presence.

It will be interesting to see how often Alonso tries to incorporate a back three at Real Madrid. Alexander-Arnold surely looked more comfortable in his advanced role than he had alone on the right flank, giving Alonso plenty to consider ahead of Real Madrid’s next match against Pachuca.

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