Even though Real Madrid have improved a lot under Xabi Alonso, there is still plenty of work to do. The win against Osasuna was not easy, and a decently built side could still score at least four goals against this Madrid team.
Xabi’s methods are undoubtedly working, but the tempo has to rise. Yet there is another issue flying under the radar that Madrid must fix as soon as possible.
I do not know if Xabi has noticed it, but if he had, he would not have missed the immense opportunity to exploit what Trent Alexander Arnold provides to this team.
Real Madrid are failing to use their most lethal advantage
Real Madrid currently have the best crosser in world football in their team. Trent Alexander Arnold is renowned for his crossing accuracy, but Madrid look lost in using it.
Yes, they are trying. Trent delivered near-perfect balls all night against Osasuna - 7 crosses in the box as per SofaScore - but none resulted in goals. Why? Because there was no natural, lethal striker inside the box to meet them.
At Liverpool, Mohamed Salah and others made sure Trent’s abilities were maximized, but in Madrid his crosses lacked a finisher until the 78th minute when Gonzalo Garcia replaced Vinicius Jr. By then it was too late, as Trent had already been substituted ten minutes earlier for Dani Carvajal.
This was a missed opportunity by Xabi, because Garcia is the only 6ft forward Los Blancos have, making him the most natural fit to convert those darting crosses.
His heading ability is outstanding, and if you followed the Club World Cup closely, you would remember the brilliant header he scored from a Trent cross against Juventus.
Throughout that tournament, his link-up with Trent was immaculate, arguably the best anyone in Madrid has shown with the Englishman so far.
All I am saying is that Trent’s greatest weapon is wasted without a tall and capable striker like Gonzalo Garcia. The Spaniard needs more minutes.
While he is clearly the second choice behind Kylian Mbappe, I don’t think that is ideal.
Garcia must start as often as possible, because he is the only Madrid player who can truly unlock the full impact of Trent’s delivery.