Real Madrid fans are over the moon with Xabi Alonso. It's surprised absolutely nobody that he's a good coach - heck this was already proven at Bayer Leverkusen - but it has been surprising just how quickly he's adapted to coaching in La Liga.
With three games under his belt, it's been a perfect start. Real Madrid has won their opening three games and if those three games are anything to go by, they'll be impossible to break down this campaign
Real Madrid has conceded just one goal so far this season. Thibaut Courtois has been left with little to do by his defenders, which is a blessing for any goalkeeper used to being the star of the show in years gone by.
It took three matches for Xabi Alonso to draw Pep Guardiola comparisons
As per stats from OptaJose, Xabi Alonso's newfound defense has only allowed 17 shots to be taken at Thibaut Courtois. This is the lowest tally since Pep Guardiola's Barcelona team in 2008.
17 - In his first three LaLiga games as @realmadriden manager, Xabi Alonso has only allowed 17 shots, the lowest tally by a manager in the competition since Josep Guardiola with FC Barcelona in 2008 (12). Exciting. pic.twitter.com/pox5l3eFic
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) September 2, 2025
Obviously, Xabi Alonso is a long way from competing with Pep Guardiola. It would be disrespectful to even imply that he's close. At Barca, Pep won three Liga titles, two Champions Leagues, two Copa del Reys and three Supercopas. That's going to take some beating from Alonso.
However, nobody is saying that Guardiola's legacy in Spain is untouchable in the future.
Heck, if Alonso stays at Real Madrid for the long term, the sky really is the limit. He showed in a short amount of time at Bayer Leverkusen what he can do if given the right resources.
Real Madrid's improved defense is clear as day. It's been a breath of fresh air to watch a Real Madrid team and not be on the edge of our seats while out of possession.
There's a calming reassurance of "yeah, Huijsen's probably got this one." Which is wild, considering some rival fans wrote him off before he signed for Madrid.
Look, we don't know what Alonso is feeding his defense, but it's working right now. Tougher tests will come after the international break, but there's absolutely no faulting how this season has began.