At Real Madrid, there’s no such thing as a transition period. When you take the reins at the Santiago Bernabéu, you're expected to win—immediately.

For new head coach Xabi Alonso, that pressure starts now, with the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup looming large.

That means Xabi Alonso is in a tricky situation where his very start to life as Real Madrid head coach means he is expected to deliver a trophy at the very first try, with the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup a must-win trophy for the trophy-laden football team.

However, this is tricky as he was only unveiled as head coach of Real Madrid on May 29, 2025, and it was not until June 9 that he held his first training session.

Alonso officially stepped into the role on May 29, and didn’t lead his first training session until June 9. Even then, he was missing major names—Mbappé, Bellingham, Tchouaméni—all still on international duty. His initial squad consisted of just five senior players, hardly ideal for preparing a team with a title mandate.

New signings Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold only met their new boss in training last Friday, while other key figures, including Vinícius Jr. and Arda Güler, only recently joined the squad in Florida.

Alonso may need to lean on experienced hands like Luka Modrić and Lucas Vázquez early on, with Rüdiger and Alaba expected to return before the group stage wraps up. Injuries to Carvajal and Militão, however, mean Real will proceed cautiously in defence.

According to the Spanish gaffer, he has sped up preparation ahead of the tournament, but that really is not an excuse as success is demanded immediately when you sit in the dugout for Los Blancos.

“Everything has had to be sped up,” new Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said shortly after their arrival in the U.S. for this summer’s Club World Cup.

“We’ve had little time to get to know each other and to train,” he added, speaking to Madrid’s official TV channel on Sunday.

The very nature of Xabi Alonso is charisma, and from the training videos released, one can tell he is impacting that into the team, to at least mirror the ideas he has in mind for them ahead of the tournament and the upcoming 2025/2026 season in total.

Although favourites to top Group H, they face tricky teams in Al Hilal, RB Salzburg and Pachuca.

Al Hilal may be the most difficult task of them all, with their expensive assembled side and the introduction of Italian manager, Simone Inzaghi.

There’s plenty of intrigue around how Alonso’s ideas will translate to the pitch. His charisma and tactical clarity were hallmarks of his time at Bayer Leverkusen, and early signs in training suggest he's already imprinting a new identity on the squad.

“I’ve an idea of how I want us to play, but not necessarily the system we’ll use,” he told reporters at his Madrid presentation.

“I want the team to ignite the fans, to make them excited and proud of the team they see on the pitch,” he said.

Everyone at Madrid will be counting on that outcome, with hopes that Alonso’s fresh leadership—alongside the new arrivals—can inject new energy into the squad after a difficult and uninspiring period and commence a journey of success.