Alonso intends to integrate youth into the squad; senior internationals to join squad this week after national team duties
Xabi Alonso officially began his tenure as Real Madrid head coach with an early start at Valdebebas on Monday, holding his first full training session with the squad as preparations ramp up for the upcoming Club World Cup.
According to reports from Madrid, the former Bayer Leverkusen boss arrived at the training ground at 7:30 a.m., much earlier than most of the staff. He set the tone with a clear message to his players that he will give “200%” and expects the same in return.
The first day featured a lengthy tactical meeting that lasted several hours before players arrived at 10 a.m. and hit the training pitch. With the team scheduled to depart for the United States this Saturday, only four training sessions remain in Madrid.
Alonso is working with a limited squad. Just 15 first-team players were present on Monday, and only five are currently fully fit: Lucas Vazquez, Marco Asensio, Fran Garcia, Dani Ceballos and Rodrygo.
Six others – Thibaut Courtois, Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Federico Valverde, and Brahim Diaz – took part in limited sessions as they recover from various physical issues. While Antonio Rudiger, Ferland Mendy, Eduardo Camavinga, and new signing Endrick did not participate at all.
To compensate for the reduced numbers, Alonso called up several youth players from Real Madrid’s academy. The coaching staff plans to take a significant number of these academy players on the US tour ahead of the Club World Cup.
Alonso has already made it clear that he intends to integrate youth talent into his plans, with players like Fortea, Gonzalo, and especially Mario Martin – who recently returned from a loan at Real Valladolid – likely to play prominent roles.
Many senior places such as Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius, Jude Bellingham and new signing Trent Alexander-Arnold were absent, having been involved in international duties. They are expected to join the squad on various days this week as preparations continue for the departure to the US on Saturday.
