Xabi Alonso surprises with an unprecedented tactical change: goodbye to Vini

Xabi Alonso, facing the final minutes of the match and with a 2-1 scoreline, has decided to make this change. He doubles up on the left flank with Fran García and Carreras and takes Vinicius off the field.

It was known that with Alonso's arrival, things would change radically in the tactical structure of the white club. However, few expected him to have a reaction like this, taking a star off the field. This is despite the fact that Vinicius didn't have his best match, but usually, coaches choose to keep these players on the field.

Nevertheless, Alonso's approach is much more collective than individualistic. That's why he has decided to give the team's defense and midfield a bit more balance to avoid losing so many duels.

The surprising decision

It's logical to think that Vinicius is one of the most important players in the white squad because of what he has shown in recent years. However, in this particular match, he hasn't been a useful element, as he has gone unnoticed in attack.

While many thought his first half was quite positive, what followed in the second was insufficient.  This is what led to the player's substitution, bringing on Fran García and leaving Carreras on the field.

The Brazilian was visibly upset by this decision, although it seems he also understood it as he greeted Alonso. Surely, this will be much talked about at the debate tables throughout the week.

After the match, there's a roundtable on Defensa Central

Don't miss a new post-match roundtable  on  our YouTube channel with the post-match roundtable for Real Sociedad - Real Madrid.

Click here to go to the program.

Coto Matamoros and Siro López will take part in this roundtable to give their point of view on everything Real Madrid does.

In addition, the roundtable line-up is completed by the channel's regular contributors: Claudia, "El Míster," Recuero, Carlos Butragueño, Adolfo Sedano, Damián Castilla, José "Gravesen," Juan Carlos Nuño, and Rubén Mejía.

These are roundtables where we discuss what happened in each match, we connect live with Xabi Alonso's press conference.  We can't forget the now famous predictions of "the blind Recuero." He'll do everything possible to get much more right this new season.