A goalkeeper lying on the grass after trying to save a penalty while a player celebrates and the crowd watches, with an inset showing a man in the stands putting his hand to his forehead in disappointment.
Fede Valverde missing the penalty and Xabi Alonso's reaction in the circle | Camara Didac Aguirre
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The factor that worries Xabi Alonso: devastating stat with Real Madrid's penalties

Real Madrid missed another penalty in yesterday's match against Al Hilal; this time, Valverde was in charge of taking the spot kick

by

Didac Aguirre

Last night, Real Madrid had a bitter debut against Saudi Al Hilal in the Club World Cup, after finishing the match with a one-all draw. In a poor match for Los Blancos, the icing on the cake was Fede Valverde's missed penalty in the final minute. This would have given Xabi Alonso's side the victory.

The numbers Real Madrid are showing from the penalty spot are starting to be worrying. Out of the last 19 penalties taken by Los Merengues, they've missed 7.

Soccer player lying on the grass with his hands on his head showing frustration during a match
Fede Valverde after missing the penalty | Didac Aguirre

Three of them by Mbappé, two by Vinícius, one by Bellingham, and another by Valverde. As journalist Damián Castillo from Real France rightly recalls, no major team in Europe has missed more penalties than Real Madrid. It's also one of Xabi's tasks.

Real Madrid have missed 7 of the last 19 penalties they've taken, which is a very worrying statistic

It's another factor the team led by the coach from San Sebastián needs to improve. But there are other more pressing issues based on what was seen yesterday in Miami.

This Madrid tries to press high, but it needs much more time to do it effectively. It also wants to move the ball much faster, but it didn't manage to do so in the first half.

It didn't have clarity in the final third of the field, but it did occupy the box much better than under Carlo Ancelotti.

Soccer player in a white uniform kneeling on the grass looking at the camera
Fede Valverde after missing the penalty | Didac Aguirre

Xabi Alonso has been training with the team since June 9, he has many players coming back from injuries and others still injured. He was only able to have the available footballers for the first match of the Club World Cup five days before the game, with a trip to the US in between. But he has clear ideas and, over time, the pieces will fit together.

It's still too early to draw conclusions, and a positive evolution of the team is expected throughout the world tournament.

This tournament could even help the coach from Tolosa solve the penalty problem the team has been suffering from for some time.

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