Passing Mastermind to Tactical Maestro – The Xabi Alonso Era Begins

Discussion in 'Real Madrid' started by Aensensen, May 25, 2025.

  1. Umar

    Umar Member+

    Sep 13, 2005
    One step ahead
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    Nat'l Team:
    Palestine
    Assuming you didn’t click the link. It wasn’t me saying Guardiola and Mourinho were similar, it was your husband Xabi Alonso.
     
  2. Xourtois

    Xourtois Member

    Liverpool FC
    England
    Sep 25, 2024
    Nice try though , no where it says they are tactically similar. This is exactly what is meant by distorting objective assessment.

    When judging philosophy and tactics in the whole thread you bring this.
     
  3. arcane

    arcane Member+

    Aug 18, 2005
    Philippines
    All I heard was both Jose and Pep were leaders, had charisma, both are into the details of the game. But had different ambitions in football. Correct?

    But that doesn’t even prove anything. Just generic stuff.
     
  4. YOUNGSTARS87

    YOUNGSTARS87 Yellow C@rd Bandit

    Dec 21, 2005
    The amount of gaslighting and projection you do is astounding. I hope this is just an internet verision and not how you go about your daily life.
     
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  5. Umar

    Umar Member+

    Sep 13, 2005
    One step ahead
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    Nat'l Team:
    Palestine
    No true Scotsman argument.

    Similar =/= tactically similar.

    Anyway, why is your husband out there making lazy assumptions removing any objective assessments? Xabi Fuera!!!?!
     
  6. 4x4s

    4x4s Moderator
    Staff Member

    Nov 26, 2006
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    Under any under system that the current one Perez would not even be walking through the door after the superleague fiasco. Top it off with the stadium issues, and you have somebody who resigns as the CEO of a company.
     
  7. 4x4s

    4x4s Moderator
    Staff Member

    Nov 26, 2006
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    upload_2025-6-12_18-59-15.png

    Boy do i have a surprise for some people here.
     
  8. arcane

    arcane Member+

    Aug 18, 2005
    Philippines
    #508 arcane, Jun 12, 2025
    Last edited: Jun 12, 2025
    Who?

    Perez is such a terrible presi that he engineered nearly half of the team’s total UCL trophies and built a new stadium. I wonder how a better president would do? Surely if it was so easy you could name a few candidates?

    The mental gymnastics people have to go through tho. :ROFLMAO:
     
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  9. Hendrix22

    Hendrix22 Member+

    Feb 28, 2010
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    This is the key distinction.

    Xabi is a tactical coach. That doesn't mean his tactics are like Guardiola's. Carlo is not a tactical coach but a man management coach. We need a tactical coach more than we need a man management coach right now.

    No idea why its a discussion that spans pages and twists everything into semantics.
     
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  10. MaxY

    MaxY Member+

    May 24, 2016
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    This forum broke him, he became the very thing that he disliked.
    You can see it by how serious he'd take this. Just frustrated I guess. We've all been there, hang in there 4x4.
     
  11. Hsain85

    Hsain85 Member+

    Mar 28, 2006
    Bahrain
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
    With Leverkusen, Xabi exceeded expectations in his first season, delivered a miraculous season in his second, but his third was more of a mixed bag. He clearly has the tools to succeed here, but it’s never that simple. Even Zizou couldn’t replicate the magic of his first stint during his second term.

    As for his approach to the game, I don’t think it’s as clear-cut as some suggest. He’s not a rigid, possession-based coach—certainly not like Guardiola. He’s far more adaptable. He gave up possession to Bayern in some of their matchups, and I highly doubt he would’ve tried to dominate possession against Man City or Barcelona if he faced them this season. Let’s be realistic.

    Is he the savior? Would winning big titles in his first season prove that? That would be amazing, no doubt—but it doesn’t diminish what Carlo Ancelotti has accomplished. The man delivered three Champions League titles and two La Ligas for us. Only Zidane has a comparable record as our coach, and when you factor in the Copas, Carlo comes out as the clear winner. He is arguably the most accomplished coach in our history. Only Munoz could be considered ahead of him.

    Of course that doesn’t mean that parting ways was a mistake—sometimes change is necessary—but why would Xabi’s success mean Carlo was the villain in this story?

    We won after Carlo left before. We won after Zidane. And we’ll win after Carlo again this time. That doesn’t prove that coach X was the issue, or that coach Y is the second coming of the Messiah.
     
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  12. YOUNGSTARS87

    YOUNGSTARS87 Yellow C@rd Bandit

    Dec 21, 2005
    That was the entire point of the initial argument. Xabi being adaptable prioritizing winning/results and not a rigid one system guy willing to win or lose with his 'plan A' is what makes him similar to Carlo and not Pep.

    That is what this entire thing has been about.

    However it was been distorted by people who just need to shit on Carlo and discredit him for whatever reason so they can't allow anything positive to be attributed without them pour out negativity
     
  13. Saeta Rubia

    Saeta Rubia Member+

    May 28, 2010
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    Nat'l Team:
    --other--


    Real Madrid have signed two new fitness coaches for the first team in a permanent role:

    • Javier Arnáiz (former performance manager of the Mexican federation)
    • Ismael Fernández (Sports Science Phd)

    Javier will work in the gym and Ismael in data analysis. Both collaborated previously with Real Madrid & have a novel method called Thermohuman.

    Real Madrid also want to sign a third fitness trainer for field work. @GuillermoRai_
     
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  14. arcane

    arcane Member+

    Aug 18, 2005
    Philippines
    who are these "people"?
     
  15. Galatico

    Galatico Member+

    Real Madrid
    United States
    Aug 15, 2019
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  16. 4x4s

    4x4s Moderator
    Staff Member

    Nov 26, 2006
    Club:
    Real Madrid

    Brother you don't know shit about me, keep living on the internet. You didn't know me before you joined this place, and you've never met me after. Unless you want to get to know me, keep your insight about me to yourself.
     
  17. 4x4s

    4x4s Moderator
    Staff Member

    Nov 26, 2006
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    The amount of financial guarantees required guardrails the position so that only the richest man in the country can make a real challenge for it. There have been moments, even in recent history, where in an actual company, Florentino would have been seriously challenged. The Superleague camapign was a moment of truth where any company CEO would have resigned even out of pure shame.

    Just incapable of discussing without going to extremes. "De mental gymnastix" what a lame way to discuss anything.
     
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  18. arcane

    arcane Member+

    Aug 18, 2005
    Philippines
    What extreme? Those are simple facts.

    I asked you who would've delivered more success to Real Madrid other than Perez, you couldn't name one.

    Here, I'll even be extremely charitable to you, you could even pick from a hypothetical owner from the other football leagues. Just give names, so we could discuss.
     
  19. 4x4s

    4x4s Moderator
    Staff Member

    Nov 26, 2006
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    Perez isn't an "owner". That's why discussing who could've done better is pointless.

    The athletic departments saved Perez face, because institutionally, this club has embarrassed itself with an incredible force.

    The referee hysteria with RMTV, the Superleague superfiasco, the stadium lawsuits and lack of due diligence, the Balon d'Or mental breakdown.

    What a shit show. At least we have the right people in the sport departments handling things Correctly.
     
  20. arcane

    arcane Member+

    Aug 18, 2005
    Philippines
    #520 arcane, Jun 13, 2025
    Last edited: Jun 13, 2025
    So what? Then name another president or CEO. He deserves all the criticisms you levy on him, I won't argue that, but he also gets the credit for taking the club from financial ruin to the most successful club in the 21st century hands down. Part of being a good leader is placing the right people for the right jobs. If you think he has ruined the club's image, to the point it overshadows 7 UCLs, just say who would have done better?

    This just shows your logical inconsistencies when dealing opinions.

    BTW let's move on since this a Xabi thread.
     
  21. 4x4s

    4x4s Moderator
    Staff Member

    Nov 26, 2006
    Club:
    Real Madrid

    If you want to be that vague about "he took it from this point and took it to that point" then by the same metrics the PSG ownership has done the same thing tenfold. It's not like Perez was in charge of Valladolid or Eibar. So if you instist on a name, PSGs leadership moved from not even in the sport, to the top of it.

    Not only that, they managed to maneuver themselves into administrative positions in european football while we took away our voting rights.

    Institutionally the club has done everything to become unappealing and people here are wondering "why does nobody like us?" Never forget that Perez went 5 years without a single title and got kicked out of the club like a defeated man.
     
  22. MaxY

    MaxY Member+

    May 24, 2016
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    Brother 2-3 years Dagestan and forget.
    "Keep your insight about me to yourself" What kind of forum would that be? Relax, it really isn't that serious.
     
  23. 4x4s

    4x4s Moderator
    Staff Member

    Nov 26, 2006
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    We're here to discuss Real Madrid, not me, as difficult as that seems for some to understand.
     
  24. HZinho

    HZinho Member+

    Apr 2, 2013
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    Happy to see Xabi is still the same. I was relatively surprised when I watched Real Madrid live (back when he was with us) to see how much of a leader he was in that team (that included Ramos, Pepe, Ronaldo, to name a few). He was constantly coaching teammates, guiding them, adjusting minor things on the pitch, etc. He was a true midfield general and a very vocal voice on the pitch (and not in the way how every player is kind of vocal). It doesn't surprise me at all that he became a coach.
     
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  25. Aensensen

    Aensensen Member+

    Croatia
    Jun 10, 2011
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    One of my favourite Xabi Alonso memories in our kit is when he was screaming at Cristiano for not tracking back on one counter :D Nobody dared even look Cris the wrong way but Xabi was always a no nonsense type of guy...

    I love seeing the intensity in these training videos.
     
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