Four Things Xabi Alonso Learned in Real Madrid’s Lopsided Defeat to PSG | OneFootball

Perplexing decisions from Xabi Alonso, poor defending and a lifeless attack all contributed to Real Madrid’s 4–0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

With a trip to the FIFA Club World Cup on the line, Real Madrid put together their worst performance of the Alonso era. The Spanish giants conceded four goals, managed just two shots on target and all-but allowed Luis Enrique’s men to do whatever they wanted at MetLife Stadium.

The defeat ended Los Blancos’ quest for their first trophy since the departure of Carlo Ancelotti. With the 2025–26 season set to kick off in less than six weeks, Alonso must take the lopsided loss and analyze what went wrong for his side to avoid repeating the same mistakes moving forward.

Here’s four things Alonso learned from Real Madrid’s poor performance against the reigning European champions.

Too Many Attackers Spell Trouble for Real Madrid

Vinícius Júnior was pulled from the Club World Cup semifinals in the 64th minute. / IMAGO/NurPhoto

The most obvious lesson Alonso learned against PSG was a front three of Kylian Mbappé, Gonzalo García and Vinícius Júnior does not work. After only starting two forwards in Real Madrid’s five consecutive victories in the Club World Cup, the former Bayer Leverkusen boss gave the nod to the three attackers in a head-scratching decision.

Even on paper, the front three did not make sense. Mbappé won the Pichichi Trophy and the European Golden Boot playing as a No. 9 for Los Blancos, not on the wing. Vinícius Júnior is at his best and most dangerous on the left and has little to no experience playing on the complete opposite side of the pitch.

Plus, throwing Gonzalo into the middle of the two superstars, who both struggled to even complete passes, rendered the Real Madrid Castilla product utterly useless. If Alonso truly wanted to start the 21-year-old, then he had to pick between Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior to partner him up top.

Alonso himself even admitted to the media after the match that his starting XI was a blunder: “Did I make a mistake starting so many attackers? Without a doubt. It was not what we expected.”

Instead of having three attackers who registered a combined one shot on target, Real Madrid would have benefited from the addition of another midfielder, like Luka Modrić, to help control the tempo of the game and maintain prolonged spells of possession.

Kylian Mbappé Is Still Reluctant to Press

Kylian Mbappé underwhelmed in his reunion against his former team. / IMAGO/Sportimage

In his first start of the Alonso era, Mbappé did not impress. The Frenchman had the least touches (27) of any outfield player to play 90 minutes, created zero chances and recorded just one shot on target.

Even more noticeable than his ineffectiveness in the attack, though, was his blatant reluctance to press or track back. Time and time again, Mbappé made no effort to pressure a PSG side that dominated possession. He was walking around, allowing his teammates to cover ground for him while he moved with zero urgency to contribute.

In fact, Jude Bellingham and Fede Valverde were caught furiously screaming at their teammate for his lackadaisical defensive efforts.

Compared to Ousmane Dembélé, who created his goal from an aggressive press, Mbappé delivered a stationary, one-dimensional performance at MetLife Stadium. Alonso will need to get his superstar forward to buy into his new system, which requires every player to press, or Real Madrid will continue to struggle against the top European teams.

Real Madrid Need to Sign a Left Back

Fran García struggled to contain Désiré Doué at MetLife Stadium. / Brian Snyder-Reuters via Imagn Images

If it wasn’t already obvious at the end of Real Madrid’s 2024–25 La Liga campaign, the club needs to sign a left back. The injury-prone Ferland Mendy and Fran García are not enough to get Los Blancos back to Spanish and European dominance.

While Mendy continues to recover from injury, Fran became Alonso’s starting left back (and at times, left wing-back) at the Club World Cup. The 25-year-old put in impressive performances in the United States against the lesser teams of the tournament, but was ultimately found out against PSG.

While Fran thrives in the attack when given enough freedom to push forward, he is a liability in defense. Players with the quality of Désiré Doué and Achraf Hakimi can torch the Spaniard, breaking free in the final third without much resistance.

Yes, Fran is more than capable of starting for Real Madrid in La Liga and the Copa del Rey, but he is not up to the task of taking on the true giants of the sport. With Mendy spending so much time in the infirmary, Los Blancos need to make signing an additional left back a priority.

The club was linked to Benfica’s Álvaro Carreras this summer, but it could not come to an agreement for the fullback before the Club World Cup kicked off.

Raúl Asencio Is No Longer a Trusted Starter

Raúl Asencio put in a disappointing Club World Cup campaign. / Susana Vera-Reuters via Imagn Images

Raúl Asencio quickly rose through the ranks at Real Madrid in Ancelotti’s final season in charge. Amid a defensive injury crisis, the Real Madrid Castilla center back suddenly found himself starting every game for Los Blancos across all competitions.

The 22-year-old showed quality in his physical play style, drawing comparisons to club icon Sergio Ramos. Except Asencio was exposed in the United States this summer, especially playing alongside the talented Dean Huijsen.

Asencio conceded a needless penalty to Al Hilal that cost Real Madrid three points in their Club World Cup opener, was sent off just seven minutes into his second appearance of the tournament, and gifted PSG their first goal in his third start under Alonso.

With Huijsen, Antonio Rüdiger and now Éder Militão available, Asencio will see his playing time rapidly diminish moving forward.