Alonso helped Real Madrid undergo a transformation.

Alonso reads the game quite well, helping Real win through composure and tactical planning.

Following a rocky start marked by Raul Asensio's red card in the second group stage match of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ on June 23rd, coach Xabi Alonso intervened promptly, making precise adjustments to the Real Madrid lineup that exceeded expectations. His tactical decisions transformed the Spanish royal team, leading them to victory.

At one point, Real Madrid were in a precarious situation. The disappointing 1-1 draw against Al Hilal and Asensio's early red card in the match against Pachuca put Xabi Alonso's team in a difficult position. With a project still under construction, a failure at this point would be a fatal blow.

From the very first minutes of the match against Pachuca, Real's formation appeared disorganized, applying unclear pressure, and leaving too many gaps in the midfield. However, everything changed completely after the water break, when Xabi directly intervened, rearranging the formation and changing the course of the game.

Xabi's pivotal decision was to switch to a 1-4-4-1 formation. Federico Valverde was moved to partner Jude Bellingham in the center, Arda Guler moved to the right wing with maximum freedom in attack. Young striker Gonzalo Garcia drifted to the left, and Vinicius played as the furthest forward.

Real switched to a 1-4-4-1 formation after being reduced to ten men.

The adjustments immediately paid off. Gonzalo provided excellent defensive support and played a crucial role in Bellingham and Guler's two goals. Meanwhile, Vinicius disrupted Pachuca's defense with his speed, agility, and off-ball movement. He had a total of 74 off-ball runs and reached a top speed of 34.6 km/h.

In defense, new signing Dean Huijsen has proven his worth. After just two matches, Huijsen quickly became the "brain" in Real's deep-lying position. Without a true "number 6," Xabi placed his trust in the young Spanish center-back to build play from the back.

Huijsen had 97 touches, the most in the match, and broke through Pachuca's defense 31 times, double that of any other player. He also initiated the play that led to Valverde's goal with a perfect through pass to Vinicius.

Huijsen has been playing impressively since joining Real Madrid.

Even when leading, Xabi Alonso didn't back down. In the second half, he brought Brahim Diaz on to replace Gonzalo to increase ball control. The Spaniard responded with a passing accuracy of 95.8% and an assist for Valverde's goal.

Meanwhile, Valverde continued to be the driving force in midfield with 10.9 km of coverage and 51 sprints. In addition, bringing on Modric and Ceballos to replace Guler and Bellingham helped Real completely control the game. In less than 35 minutes, they had 92 touches and 22 passes to each other.

At the end of the match, Real Madrid held 65% of the possession and deservedly earned 3 points. A victory that bore the strong imprint of Xabi Alonso's tactical brilliance.

Real Madrid win their first match at the FIFA Club World Cup. In the early hours of June 23rd, Real defeated Pachuca 3-1 in their second match of Group F at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™.