Ever since he arrived in the summer, Xabi Alonso has wasted no time. Similarly to how he operated at Bayer Leverkusen, the Spanish coach has demanded respect from his players and instilled the message 'if you don't want to play for me, you won't play at all.'
And that's completely fair. Xabi Alonso is the manager and the man Florentino Perez has entrusted. He has every right to demand 100% buy-in from his players, and if he doesn't receive that from anyone, no matter how big their name is, then he should do the necessary.
Vinícius Júnior has already learned that the hard way.
But it's not a new tactic at Real Madrid, and actually, Xabi Alonso is only continuing the work set about by one of Real Madrid's most underrated managers of all time.
Xabi Alonso is surely reminding Real Madrid fans of José Mourinho
José Mourinho, when he managed Real between 2010-2013, also demanded utmost buy-in from his players. José wasn't afraid to interfere with egos in the Real Madrid squad - He was the ego.
From Gonzalo Higuaín challenging Karim Benzema whenever Benz wasn't up to scratch, to Mesut Özil being ridiculed for not defending - If José was even unsure about a player, he made it known.
And while it wasn't entirely successful at the time, José deserves so much more credit for the work he put in. In many ways, his ruthless nature changed the way Real Madrid was perceived, and it's no coincidence that in the years that followed José, Real Madrid turned into a European super club.
It was because of José, not despite him.
And now, Xabi Alonso is reinforcing that at Real Madrid. In recent times, the José Mourinho approach has been lost on Real Madrid, and egos have begun running the dressing room. Real Madrid does not need to be governed by players, or they risk running into Barcelona territory.
Xabi Alonso has already made some controversial calls, and he will continue to make them. In the Alonso era, Real Madrid fans must prepare to be confused, but they must learn to trust also.
Naturally, fans gravitate towards certain players. However, those players not getting as many minutes under Alonso isn't an insult to them; instead, it's a reflection of which players represent Alonso and what he wants to do at Real Madrid the most. That counts for more than