Xabi has it harder than Ancelotti, Zidane and especially Mourinho

Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid is already underway. The Club World Cup can't be considered the work of the Tolosa native because it was part of Ancelotti's legacy, and even Xabi didn't want to change too many things, aware that with a title at stake, it wasn't the best time and, above all, he put an end to a project that wasn't his.

For this very reason, what Xabi's Real Madrid can offer remains a mystery. They're taking on a project with signings, but no known difference-maker. They have three defenders and a project for a great footballer like Mastantuono, who will need time. Ancelotti once brought in Kroos, James, Bellingham, and Güler to refloat a ready-made group. Xabi has lost Modric, plus Kroos, and it doesn't look like the club is going to rush into the market for a genius to replace him. He'll have to make the team play with almost everything they had, which isn't a small amount, but they've shown clear signs of exhaustion. The question is whether Xabi will be able to carry out the generational change in midfield that Ancelotti was entrusted with, and which he failed to achieve with Tchouaméni, Camavinga, Güler, or Ceballos, with the same talent.

Ancelotti first, after reorganizing the amazing team he'd built for Mourinho, then Zidane, and then Carletto again, lifted the dominance with a group of extraordinary players. They brought Cristiano, Benzema, Kaká, and Xabi himself to the Portuguese in one fell swoop. Zidane brought in Hazard, the best player on the scoresheet at the time, and Carletto brought in James and Kroos in his first spell, and Bellingham in his second.

Now Xabi has the obligation to regain his throne with Mbappé, Güler, Alexander-Arnold, Mastantuono, Carreras, and Huijsen, plus what remains of the golden era with Vinicius, Valverde, Courtois, Carvajal, Rüdiger, and Militao. The Madrid of Cristiano, Modric, Benzema, Kroos, and even Vinicius triumphed. Xabi has the mission to do the same with Mbappé's Madrid... and with Vinicius' permission.