[Real Madrid](https://www.managingmadrid.com) beat Salzburg 3-0 to top their Club World Cup group through goals from Vinicius Jr, Fede Valverde and Gonzalo Garcia. This was their best performance yet under new manager Xabi Alonso, and there were loads of encouraging signs.
Here are three observations from the win.
### The first half of dreams
It is better to explain everything that happened in the first half instead of picking just one thing because of how good that half was. It had everything: high-octane pressing (on occasion) from Real Madrid that actually worked, Aurelien Tchouameni playing as an anchor, Arda Guler, Jude Bellingham and Fede Valverde dominating from midfield, and so much more. Let’s dive in.
If you have followed Real Madrid for the last four years, you must know by now that Real Madrid are one of the worst top teams when it comes to pressing. Carlo Ancelotti used to give it a go every single season before returning to a low-to-mid block. Sometimes, he would just _decide_ that the team would press more in a certain game, which never worked. It is a habit that gets instilled into the players after loads of practice, kind of like what we are seeing right now.
Real Madrid’s pressing was OK in the first game against Al-Hilal. There were some good counter-pressing sequences in the second game against Pachuca. The first half against Salzburg was the first full half where Real Madrid looked good when they were pressing. The players got tired in the second half, but with more training, that will not happen.
Also worth noting: the moment these players started dropping off, Alonso \* immediately \* made three changes to switch things up. That is something that Real Madrid have sorely lacked on many occasions. Ancelotti used to give it too long, especially in his last season, before any substitute was introduced. This is good.
Finally, the elephant in the room. Real Madrid played in a three-at-the-back formation for the first time in years, probably since Zinedine Zidane was forced to try Ferland Mendy out as a left central defender in 2021.
It looked good and fluid. It may not be sustainable to go through the entire season with a three-at-the-back formation, either due to Tchouameni not wanting to play there in every single game or the team not having enough centre-backs to make it work, but it was good. It would work in some games. Tchouameni has been exceptional for a while now, but this Club World Cup, he has taken it up a notch. He looks more comfortable and confident playing under Alonso, and as an anchor in the three-CB formation, the Frenchman was rock-solid. His passing was on point. He controlled the tempo from the back as well as he could. Defensively, he was as good as ever, and it worked out really well for Real Madrid, at least in the first half.
Everyone assumed it would be a four-man midfield with Tchouameni at the base, but it became three as soon as it was kick-off time. Valverde, Bellingham and Guler tracked runners at will; they did a great job with it. It was even better when they had the ball, though. The synergy was top-notch, with both Guler and Bellingham creating from deep and from advanced positions. Valverde was given the license to make runs into the attacking third, while he and Bellingham kept taking their turns on the right flank. It was smooth, fluid and something that has been lacking for a while.
Real Madrid played really well, and it gave Alonso a lot fo hope that a midfield like this — with enough defensive coverage from the defenders — could work really well.
### Vinicius Jr is back
There wasn’t a huge difference between the way Vinicius Jr played in the game against Pachuca and the first 20 minutes against Salzburg. Vinicius was still better against the Austrian outfit, but there wasn’t a lot separating the two performances.
That is until Vinicius Jr got on the scoresheet, realised that he had changed his hair and that he was a Ballon d’Or favorite just 10 months ago.
This Vinicius Jr was still not the best we have seen. There is still a lot of improvement that could be done to get to his best level, but this was the big first step he has needed for the last nine months.
Vinicius Jr was great with the ball and without it. He was making really good central runs that Bellingham and others were able to pick out on multiple occasions. The goal itself was exquisite, Vinicius Jr still had to do so much even after a brilliant Bellingham pass.
The Brazilian then turned into Guti for an exceptional assist to Fede Valverde for Real Madrid’s second, and it was just a much, much improved version of Vinicius since then. More of this, please. Especially when Mbappe returns.
### Gonzalo Garcia, a cheat code
Real Madrid and their fans were nervous about Mbappe’s gastroenteritis problem before the Club World Cup. It was tough to imagine them in a completely new system without their best player’s consistent output to fall back on. Enter Gonzalo Garcia.
Garcia has since scored two goals and assisted one more in three group games. However, make no mistake: this tells absolutely nothing about how crucial he has been for Real Madrid.
Constant pressing, good runs, and being at the right place at the right time are just some of the core abilities that Garcia has portrayed in his three games. His quick, Benzema-esque one-touch passing has been crucial in breaking down presses and creating genuine goalscoring opportunities (see: Bellingham’s goal against Pachuca). He is hardworking and not shy of getting in there with his challenges.
Let me remind you: Long before his 25-goal season for Castilla, he was touted as a good left-winger who _probably_ did not have a place in the first team. He could play as a striker, if needed — he has always been versatile — but his original position was as a winger. The talent was always, always there. He scored nine goals in the 2023-24 season, and he played 12 matches as a left winger — the most in any position.
When Nico Paz left, and Castilla cried for a talisman to take over, Garcia stepped up. Raul — whom Alonso was reminded of after seeing Garcia play — profiled him perfectly, and Garcia kept improving every passing game.
A few months on from that historic season with Castilla, Garcia is showing no signs of slowing down. He is more polished than Endrick now, and some might say he is more of an Alonso-type striker than Endrick is at this current moment. At the same time, Garcia has given hope to countless Real Madrid academy players who dream of being like him in a few years’ time.