In just his few short months in charge so far, Xabi Alonso has already made a number of important changes from the outgoing Carlo Ancelotti regime that will have a major impact on the team this season.
He has let veteran players go and even told some of the younger players that they aren't part of his plan and should look for playing time elsewhere. However, one decision he has to make is regarding the penalty spot.
Los Blancos have four or five players, all of whom are capable of being the primary penalty taker. Under Carlo Ancelotti last season the team rotated between four takers and that strategy did not prove to bring much success.
Xabi Alonso makes major decision on penalty taker ahead of next season
If Real Madrid hope to bounce back from last seasons disappointments, they must establish an undisputed primary penalty taker, and it seems Xabi Alonso has done just that, and the decision may upset one particular player.
As being reported by Marca, Xabi Alonso trusts Kylian Mbappe to be Real Madrid's number one penalty taker over Vinicius Jr for the upcoming season.
As mentioned earlier, Real Madrid's record from the penalty spot wasn't great last season. Of the 19 penalties awarded, Los Blancos missed seven, which was the most of any big club in Europe. The players taking the penalties were Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham, and Fede Valverde. with Mbappe leading the way with three misses.
However, despite missing the most, Xabi Alonso trusts the Frenchman to be his priority taker ahead of Vinicius Jr, which could rub the Brazilian the wrong way.
After the departure of Karim Benzema, Vinicius has been the main penalty taker and the main man in the attack, but the club now views Mbappe as the leader of the attack, surpassing the Brazilian.