Germany icon doubts Alonso can make Real Madrid attackers defend – ‘It will be hard’ | OneFootball

Legendary Germany forward Jurgen Klinsmann recently sat down with MARCA and shared his honest views on Real Madrid’s new manager, Xabi Alonso, and the big challenges ahead.

Klinsmann was asked about Real Madrid’s tactical balance, especially whether star forwards like Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior could be convinced to help more in defence by pressing higher up the field.

Klinsmann answered bluntly: “Teams with Messi are the only ones that can afford to defend with just 10. Even Real Madrid are trying to get Mbappe and Vinicius to drop back to defend.

“Am I convinced that Xabi Alonso will achieve it? No, really [laughs]. Mbappe is no longer a child and Vinicius sees that they don’t defend either and he doesn’t do much either.

“But they are two personalities that Xabi has to manage, and I’m sure the team will manage to compensate for everything and get the best out of both of them.”

Klinsmann continued, giving examples of similar struggles at other clubs: “At PSG, for example, it didn’t work out those two years with Neymar, Mbappe, Messi… At River Plate, the same thing is happening with Mastantuono.

Xabi Alonso has a huge task at hand. (Photo by Sandra Montanez/Getty Images)

“They are also trying to integrate him into the system, because he doesn’t do much in defence either… But yes, I agree that it will be hard for Xabi to get both of them to defend more.”

Alonso’s big challenge

Ever since Alonso arrived at Real Madrid, many have wondered how his successful tactics at Bayer Leverkusen will translate at one of the world’s biggest clubs.

His time in Germany was praised for aggressive pressing and quick transitions, but managing Real Madrid’s world-class attackers will be a different kind of test.

Klinsmann’s words highlight the huge challenge Alonso faces. Big stars like Mbappe and Vinicius have the quality to change any game in attack, but convincing them to put in the defensive work is a different story.

As Klinsmann pointed out, if players like Messi were allowed to skip defensive duties, it will be a tough task for Alonso to change the habits of his forwards.