Xabi Alonso era at Real Madrid started with a 1-1 draw against Al Hilal at the rebranded FIFA Club World Cup. Castilla product Gonzalo Garcia scored the first goal of this new era and had multiple opportunities throughout the game in the absence of Kylian Mbappe. Ruben Neves equalized from the spot for Al Hilal and Fede Valverde missed a penalty in the final minutes.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26032234/Real_Madrid_passing_network_vs_Al_Hilal.png)
There were flashes of what the former Bayer Leverkusen manager was trying to do but it was predominantly _“Ancelotti’s automatisms”_ in Thibaut Courtois’ words. It’s still extremely early days to expect any tangible areas of change yet but we saw some signs like Courtois being out of his own box during a couple of buidup sequences and the defensive line being high and trying to squeeze the opponent in their half.
A couple of fresh faces also made their way into Alonso’s first starting lineup. Trent Alexander-Arnold started at right back while Spanish youngster Dean Huijsen accompanied Raul Asencio in central defence.
The latter showed a lot of promising signs in his first outing for Los Blancos. The 20-year-old young center-back was exciting on the ball, consistently breaking lines, finding vertical passing options, carrying the ball and even playing some dangerous diagonal balls.
He showcased calmness on the ball and even when challenged. His pass selection seemed mature in buildup, finding high quality avenues with his passes. Huijsen’s passing accuracy barely dropped with range, showcasing comfort over distance making him a valuable asset in a possession based style.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26032034/Dean_Huijsen_performance_vs_Al_Hilal_twitter__1_.png)
His numbers from the game underline his passing ability quite well. He had the most touches (79) and passes (60), the most of any Madrid player, recording a success rate of 87%. He completed four of his five long ball attempts while playing seven progressive passes as well.
Beyond his exellence on the ball, he looked assured in his defensive sequences as well for most parts. He engaged in 11 duels which was the highest for any Madrid player in the game, winning 82% of them. He recovered lose possession three times in the game and made three clearances.
At 6ft 5in, Huijsen is a towering presence which allows him to clear any and every danger that comes his way. He won three of his of his five aerial duels in the game, two of them in the opposition box, winning the first contact. This especially works well for Madrid who have often struggled defending box entries and lacked an aerial threat on set-pieces.
It was game one and Huijsen is just 20, with a very high ceiling. Alonso will be delighted with the quality the Spaniard can add to Real Madrid’s buildup in the upcoming season.