Former Real Madrid striker commends team’s style of play under Spaniard
Karim Benzema has backed Xabi Alonso’s style of play and said his former teammate is “doing an excellent job” at Real Madrid.
Alonso was appointed last summer as Carlo Ancelotti’s successor and has had a promising start. Madrid entered the new campaign on the back of a difficult 2024-25 season that yielded no major trophies, and a Club World Cup campaign that ended with a sound thrashing at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain exposed the scale of the rebuilding task.
But despite that, Madrid have started the 2025-26 La Liga season with 13 wins out of 16 games played. Although there were disappointing performances against Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, they also ended a four-game losing streak in the clásico with their 2-1 victory over Barcelona.
Benzema, who shared a dressing room with Alonso for five seasons, said he recognised some aspects of the Spaniard’s play in the past in Madrid’s current setup.
“I remember when we played together, and it’s the same now as a coach – pressure, vertical passing,” said Benzema. “It’s a style of play I like.
“He’s only been there for six months, and he’s doing an excellent job. He needs to be given time.”
Madrid started the season with a perfect record, winning seven out of seven games in all competitions before being routed 5-2 by local rivals Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano. Recent performances against Liverpool, when they were lucky to lose only 1-0, and against Rayo Vallecano, when the game ended in a lacklustre draw, have been held up as signs that Alonso’s project is still far off from where it should be.
Benzema said: “I like this Real Madrid team. There’s a lot of talk about it now, but it’s always like this.
“If they draw or lose, it’s a crisis. They go from being the best team in the world to questioning the coach, this player or that player.
“It’s normal because they’re the best team in the world. But I like this team.”
