Real Madrid put on a show in their only pre-season friendly played in front of fans, coming against Austrian Bundesliga leaders WSG Tirol at the Tivoli Stadion Tirol in Innsbruck in Austria. Los Blancos went with a full-strength side, with Éder Militão opening the scoring inside 10 minutes and Kylian Mbappé doubling the lead only three minutes later. Second half goals, again from Mbappé and with a cameo off the bench from Rodrygo Goes, wrapped up an impressive 4-0 victory.
**1\. Could Real Madrid avoid any further injury scares?**
With the schedule being quite so intense, and the players only having rested for 20 days between the Club World Cup semi-final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain and the return to training, there were nerves about potential injury issues arising even in the team’s only public pre-season friendly. The behind-closed-doors win over Leganés went by without a hitch, but already there are signs of the physical toll with Fede Valverde not risked as he carries a slight strain, while Eduardo Camavinga has suffered a sprained ankle. Fortunately for Los Blancos, there were no new concerns arising in Innsbruck.
**2\. Which youngsters could be in the picture?**
Five younger players were included in the squad in total, including reserve goalkeeper Fran González, as well as Castilla’s Diego Aguado, Daniel Yáñez, and Roberto Martín, and Juvenil A’s Thiago Pitarch. Yañez, Martín and Pitarch all got minutes off the bench, albeit limited. Yañez played 12 minutes, replacing Brahim Díaz on the right, while Martín and Pitarch playing seven minutes each, replacing Kylian Mbappé and Arda Güler. All three are promising talents, and this decision alone from Xabi Alonso suggests that we could see more involvement for youngsters compared to Carlo Ancelotti’s approach. While the last few years have only seen minutes given to such players in the early rounds of the Copa del Rey, Alonso could look to involve youngsters much more readily throughout the campaign.
**3\. Would there be any surprises?**
There weren’t many shocks. The change in shape back to a 4-3-3 might have surprised some given that it was the shape which the team most seemed to struggle with at the Club World Cup. Starting Dani Ceballos might have been a little surprising, given the complete lack of involvement he had in the United States. But perhaps the biggest surprise of all was how Xabi Alonso used David Alaba, bringing the Austrian veteran off the bench and putting him into a midfield role. It’s not the first time that Alaba has played in a midfield role, he actually spent a season there for Bayern’s B team in 2009/10, but he is not a natural midfielder. The use of him in a holding role, providing an alternative to Aurélien Tchouameni, seemed to be the clearest indication yet that Xabi Alonso will seek to make do with the squad he has without any further additions.
**1\. Who will start against Osasuna?**
The new La Liga season is only a week away, and will start at 9pm CEST on Tuesday, August 19th. Perhaps the clearest indication on offer was that Xabi Alonso opted for a 4-3-3 shape, with Aurélien Tchouameni operating in the midfield three rather than deeper in a back five. With Arda Güler also playing a key role in midfield, his place in the starting line-up also looks almost assured. One man who could have played his way into contention is Álvaro Carreras, who made an immediate impact and led the game for number of completed dribbles and number of duels won. Fran García had a strong Club World Cup before Carreras arrived, but the new addition has hit the ground running and could well have played himself into a start against Osasuna next Tuesday.
**2\. Was this a good performance or a bad performance from Vinícius?**
This was a bizarrely un-Vinícius Vinícius performance. Why? Where his game excelled was in his pressing and his work rate, not his on-ball actions. In fact, his on-ball actions were the subject of much derision and mocking from rival fans on social media, laughing at his return of 0 shots on target, 0 dribbles even attempted, 0 crosses, 11 possession losses and a poor 78% pass completion rate. Despite that, his work rate out of possession was impressive and he could be seen frequently pressing high and leading a press that was challenging Tirol throughout, putting them on the backfoot immediately. It’s understandable that improving his defensive contribution may lead to compromises on his in-possession threat, and Vini will take time to find that balance between the two. Having previously been almost 100% focused on his attacking threat in possession, this was the first sign that Vini could adapt his game to the new coach’s style.
**3\. How will Xabi Alonso line up his attack?**
Having opted for a number nine with Gonzalo García throughout the Club World Cup, it was intriguing to see Real Madrid switch things up here. With García left on the bench, Kylian Mbappé moved into a central role, and Brahim Díaz came in on the right. Brahim only made four appearances in the States, all off of the bench. With the winger a more natural fit on the right, it meant Mbappé back in the middle with Vinícius in his preferred role on the left. Mbappé’s brace showed that he could thrive in such a role, but there remains a balance for Alonso to find between keeping his superstars happy and getting the best out of his squad.
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