Xabi Alonso ‘Makes First Huge Decision’ as Real Madrid Manager | OneFootball

Xabi Alonso is expected to abandon the three-man defense which brought him success at Bayer Leverkusen in favor of a different setup at Real Madrid, a report has claimed.

A 3-4-2-1 formation yielded excellent results for Alonso in Germany. Leverkusen won the Bundesliga title in his first full season and finished behind only Bayern Munich in 2024–25 before his move to Madrid was confirmed.

Despite having created a system which turned Leverkusen into a real force to be reckoned with, MARCA state Alonso is not wedded to that formation and is instead thinking about implementing a 4-3-3 in Madrid.

Central to Alonso’s thinking are the injury issues which have plagued the squad at center back in recent seasons. Éder Militão is on the cusp of returning from his second ACL injury in as many seasons, while David Alaba missed over a year with his own knee injury and Antonio Rüdiger recently underwent surgery.

At the Club World Cup, Madrid’s only natural center backs stand to be Raúl Asencio and summer signing Dean Huijsen, meaning a three-man defense has effectively been ruled out already.

Huijsen is one of just two natural options available to Alonso. / IMAGO/Pro Sports Images

Another new signing, right back Trent Alexander-Arnold, is therefore not expected to take up the wing back role in which Jeremie Frimpong, now at Liverpool, enjoyed so much success at Leverkusen.

Defense is the biggest area of concern for Madrid, although former boss Carlo Ancelotti made it clear he felt his side’s issues at the back stemmed from a lack of cohesion throughout the entire team, and Alonso is thought to be aware of such issues.

Indeed, talks are planned between the new boss and winger Vinicius Junior, whose limited defensive output has been singled out as a possible source of Madrid’s issues. Alonso plans to inform the Brazil international that, while his attacking influence is undoubtedly crucial, his willingness to sacrifice himself for the team is just as important.

Should Alonso deploy a 4-3-3 formation, Vinicius will likely retain his role as a left winger, rather than shift into an inside No. 10 role like the one held by Liverpool target Florian Wirtz.