Enrique Sanz Xabi Alonso's 3 reasons for joy ahead of the semifinals after Dean Huijsen's red card
The white coach has the opportunity to approach the match against PSG differently
Real Madrid's qualification for the Club World Cup semifinals brings bad news: Dean Huijsen won't be able to be part of Xabi Alonso's match plans. His sending off against Borussia Dortmund, in the last play of the match, means a very significant loss for the Tolosa coach. The Merengue coaching staff are already working to fix it as soon as possible.
In any case, reaching the semifinals also brings good news in terms of preparation for the clash against PSG. The regulations applied by FIFA for this tournament mean that footballers are completely "cleared" of previous suspensions, so there's no risk of suspension for accumulated yellow cards.
This decision is a significant relief for players like Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé, and Vinícius Jr. The Tolosa coach always gave very clear instructions to those three footballers: They shouldn't go in as hard as they usually do in some actions, given that a booking would be costly.
That "fear" has completely disappeared now that Real Madrid have reached the Club World Cup semifinals. With both forwards and the English all-rounder free from the threat of suspension for yellow cards received so far, Xabi Alonso can readjust his tactical plans for the next match.
It starts to become a headache
The coaching staff led by Xabi Alonso have managed to keep the disciplinary issue under control. Especially the one involving Vinícius Jr., one of the longest-running sagas for Real Madrid, match after match. The yellow card received during the debut against Al-Hilal, for trying to force a foul, was the only warning the "7" verdeamarelo needed.
In private conversations with Xabi Alonso, the São Gonçalo striker understood that His role in the first team's tactical plans is too important... at least to miss these matches played in the United States, so highly regarded by the Valdebebas offices, because of two yellow cards.
The only major issue that seems to be pending in that area are the two sendings-off seen so far. The straight reds for Raúl Asencio and Dean Huijsen are notable mistakes, uncharacteristic of footballers settled in the European elite, so it immediately becomes a top priority. Especially because of the delicate situation the Merengue backline is in now.
The Merengue defenders lose the player who had been their best so far. Without Dean Huijsen, Xabi Alonso will have to completely change his match plans to rebuild that line and reintroduce Raúl Asencio into the starting eleven. Dean Huijsen could only rejoin the first team, in the Club World Cup, if they defeat the rouge-et-bleu squad and reach the final on July 13.
This will be the first major test for this project led by Xabi Alonso. From Valdebebas, they point out that, regardless of what happens, there are already positive conclusions regarding the Club World Cup. In addition, the Donostiarra has been able to start implementing his style much earlier than desired and has established optimism among Madridists.
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