Why is Real Madrid the biggest favorite to win the Club World Cup? Alonso s formation changes tactics

On June 15, the 2025 Club World Cup will kick off, with the latest odds to win the championship. Real Madrid, which is empty in the 2024-25 season, is the biggest favorite. Manchester City, which is also empty in the four. Paris Saint-Germain, which has just won the three-time champion, ranked fourth. Inter Milan, who defeated Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final 0-5, also ranked fifth. Real Madrid, which Xavi Alonso took over, is currently basically the team left by Ancelotti last season, with wounded soldiers all over the camp, and almost none of the defenders are healthy. Why win the Club World Cup championship? Is Alonso, the coach alone?

According to Marca, Real Madrid still played in the 433 formation in the Club World Cup. Alonso played three central defenders at Leverkusen. After coming to Real Madrid, he also considered playing three central defenders. However, Militon, Rudiger and Alaba are injured in Real Madrid and cannot play three central defenders.

The formation remains unchanged, and the tactics will change, that is, all members of the staff defend: all three forwards must defend!

"The team can withstand that one player does not participate in the defense, but it must not be three or even four players do not participate in the defense." Alonso sent a clear signal to the whole team through "Marca". This season, Real Madrid has collapsed many times due to insufficient players' defensive investment, which touched Alonso's tactical bottom line. His assistant, game analyst Bennett Labyn, has begun to disassemble the game video and diagnose chronic diseases from the perspective of behavioral attitude.

forward players became the primary target of this defensive revolution. Alonso clearly requires the three forwards to participate in the return to defense and establish a team-wide coordinated defense system. The most eye-catching move is that he plans to have a special interview with Vinicius, emphasizing that the Brazilian striker needs to "make sacrifices for the team while displaying his offensive talent." This is not only about tactical discipline, but also implies a change in the role positioning of the frontcourt - Vinicius may need to give up the middle space, return to the fulcrum position of the wing lane, and find a new balance between offensive weight and defensive responsibilities.

Choose the 433 formation is by no means a stopgap, it carries Alonso's deep understanding of modern football. This formation has made Klopp's Liverpool, Guardiola's Barcelona and Real Madrid during the BBC period, and its core advantages lie in space creation and offense and defense flexibility. Removing the space released by the traditional No. 10 position allows two No. 8 midfielders to gain forward freedom, while creating conditions for the winger to retract and center to retreat. In Alonso's plan, Bellingham is expected to play the offensive No. 8 position, and if Arnold joins, he may use the role of "left and back midfielder" to strengthen the right offensive and defensive conversion.

When Mbappe, Vinicius and Bellingham are on the front line, Alonso's 433 actually hides the defensive mystery of 451. The essence of "allowing one person not to defend" is the tilt of tactical privileges against Mbappe - Vinicius and Bellingham need to retreat deeply to form a five-midfield defensive network. The key to success or failure depends on Mbappe's evolution: if he continues his static ball habit, it will not only squeeze Vinicius's wing breakout space, but also may block Bellingham's forward-spinning channel and repeat the offensive stagnation in some games this season.

The upcoming Club World Cup has become a key field for Alonso's tactical experiment. This event not only tests the hardness of the temporary patchwork of defense, but also serves as a window to assess the recovery status of the injured. The club will analyze the true value of long-term casualties such as Alaba and Rudiger through the game, and decide whether to introduce new central defenders in the summer window. The results of the inspection of young central defenders will directly affect whether Real Madrid will return to the three central defenders system next season.