Real Madrid: 3 things we’ve learned about the defense this season

The Arrival of David Alaba

To keep it basic: Real Madrid will not be where they are now without David Alaba. Arriving on a free transfer after his Bayern Munich contract expired, David Alaba has been absolutely immense. He started off the season as a left-back but Ancelotti has consistently made it clear that he sees the Austrian defender as a center-back and as promised, that’s where Alaba made most of his appearances so far.

He’s a leader, he came in commanding the respect that he definitely deserves and he’s one hell of a defender. He’s very good at coming forward and already has some assists to his name as well as a wonderful goal in his Clasico debut. Similar to Sergio Ramos, Alaba’s presence alone makes the defense better and gives them more trust from our midfielders. He’s smart with and without the ball while he has been able to bring all the experience he has with Bayern Munich to the Santiago Bernabeu.

We are speaking about a player who primarily is a central defender but his versatility only brings good to Real Madrid. He can play as a defensive midfielder or as a left-back, which he has done for the club. In addition, it’s worth noting that he has also been a playmaker and even though we probably won’t see much of that in Spain, we definitely see it whenever he moves forward and the decisions he takes whenever the ball is at his feet.

It’s absurd that there was a time not so long ago that people criticized the club for signing the Austrian.