Real Madrid's win against Borussia Dortmund was nothing of the ordinary.
Real Madrid looked good. Really good, and more organised than they have looked in a few years. Xabi Alonso is doing well at the club, and it is only the beginning.
Real Madrid are a brilliant team, but they have not been able to realise their potential this season, because of one reason or the other.
Slowly, Alonso is getting the pieces together, and Real Madrid actually look great while building from the back now.
Xabi Alonso has been cooking at Real Madrid
Alonso has chosen his two architects to this Real Madrid build-up, and both are names everyone wanted to see more of in their respective first seasons at the club.
Real Madrid's midfield two at times was Arda Guler and Aurelien Tchouameni, and they ran the show for the team in their own way.
With Guler, it was more of a creative hub. Everything in the final third went through Guler, and his long balls out to the wings were also crucial.
Tchouameni, on the other hand, was more of a controller. In fact, he was fundamental to Real Madrid's win, as he was the player who linked the defense and midfield to the attack. It was beautiful to see, and it must have, in a way, reminded Alonso a bit of himself.
He spoke about Tchouameni in the press conference after the game, too, and it was only good words.
Alonso said: "Our system today was defined by Aurélien Tchouaméni. We let him analyze what’s needed and decide where he needs to be.In some sequences, he played high, and in others, he dropped low in a back 5. He did it really, really well.”
It was so good to see Real Madrid function well. It is something that we have not seen much of in the last few years. Frankly speaking, it has been a while since we saw such defined roles for Real Madrid players.
Tchouameni and Guler now have the keys to this Real Madrid side, and it is so exciting to think about. If Real Madrid could play this well in just the first five games, imagine what they can do in a few months' time.