Álvaro Benito Reveals the System Xabi Won't Use at Real Madrid: 'Unlikely'

The arrival of Xabi Alonso as the new coach of Real Madrid, pending the final details of the operation, seems to be practically finalized. In this regard, many analysts are already considering the tactics that the coach from Tolosa might implement with the footballers present in Santiago Bernabéu locker room.

One of the most notable tactical schemes that the Basque coach has used to date is a system with three central defenders and two wing-backs, providing depth to the flanks. This scheme could work at Real Madrid, but Álvaro Benito has analyzed the implications it might have with the current footballers in the white team.

According to the former Real Madrid player, "I find it unlikely" that Xabi Alonso will use the 5-3-2 again that he employed during his years as a coach at Bayer Leverkusen. The reason for this change in tactics for his tenure as the coach of the first white team would be a newly arrived footballer in the white locker room. The signing of Trent Alexander-Arnold, still to be effectively decided, would modify all the plans that any coach might form with the current footballers.

The still '66' of Liverpool, notes Álvaro Benito, "can play in depth and although he is less aggressive in attack, he has great passing ability". Therefore, Xabi Alonso would rule out a system that would require wing-backs... given Alexander-Arnold's natural tendency to focus on creating opportunities from the right flank and midfield.

We'll See What Happens

In this situation, Xabi Alonso would rule out his 5-3-2 system that worked so well for him at Bayer Leverkusen due to the morphology of the current and future Santiago Bernabéu locker room. The first team white footballers do not fit with the tactical idea that worked in the werkself squad, so Álvaro Benito points to a 'tactical reinvention'.

This new pending task doesn't seem to be a problem for Xabi Alonso, given the variety of systems he has employed since he began his coaching career. His beginnings at La Fábrica provided him with very valuable experience with a four-player defense, which was established during his time in charge of Real Sociedad's reserve team.

The tactical variations applied by Xabi Alonso depending on the team he has coached in his career are also a testament to his work. In this situation, the coach from Tolosa promises a tactical versatility that many Madridists have missed during the current soccer season, given the multiple injury absences.

In any case, Álvaro Benito understands that the application of a 5-3-2 at Real Madrid seems "unlikely, if not impossible". But it doesn't mean that Xabi Alonso has ruled out modifying Real Madrid's tactical schemes as needed, especially if he encounters extreme situations like the one experienced by Carlo Ancelotti.