Xabi Alonso’s new training methods are surprising and exciting at Real Madrid

Since replacing Carlo Ancelotti as Real Madrid manager late last month, Xabi Alonso has repeatedly stressed the importance of time on the training ground to implement new ideas.

The 43-year-old Spaniard only had time for a handful of sessions at Madrid’s Valdebebas training ground before leaving for the Club World Cup, and even then, several of the senior players were missing. Instead, everything has started in earnest over in the United States.

There, observers and sources close to the squad, speaking anonymously to be able to talk openly, have been impressed by the pace and energy of each session, and some have commented on how the intensity appears greater than under Ancelotti.

The veteran Italian mostly observed training sessions pitchside, while assistants Davide Ancelotti and Francesco Mauri ran the activities and drills. The head coach then got involved when there was something very specific he wanted to get across.

At Madrid’s makeshift training ground near Miami, Alonso has been a constant presence right in among the players, always moving, always talking.

When players did strength work attached to a rubber belt, Alonso was the one throwing the ball for Lucas Vazquez to head back at the end of each sprint. During reduced-size practice games, he has been with the squad on the pitch, following the play, stopping it when required to issue instructions.

In footage shared by the club, Alonso can be seen feeding the ball into ‘rondos’ — where players form a small circle or box and zip the ball among each other, while team-mates in the centre try to intercept — or teeing up Jude Bellingham to shoot during a finishing drill.

Madrid’s first sessions in the U.S. began with assistant coach Sebas Parrilla shouting out numbers for players to instantly form groups of that size. Those not quick enough to find a group had to do press-ups. The idea was for everyone to be switched on from minute one.

Multiple former players from Alonso’s previous teams, Real Sociedad B and Bayer Leverkusen, have spoken admiringly about how he would get involved with them during exercises when they worked under him.

“Xabi is still fit, he could easily still be playing,” Leverkusen and Spain left-back Alex Grimaldo told The Athletic in March 2024. “Every time he gets involved in a tactical exercise, a ‘possession game’, he accelerates the rhythm, so the team sees the rhythm we have to play at.”

Alonso and his staff continually emphasise to their players how every detail of every exercise really matters. During one session in Miami, The Athletic overheard the Basque coach enthusiastically congratulating defender Eder Militao for a short, apparently simple pass by shouting: “Good one, Mili, good one!”

Conversely, Alonso is not so happy when players lose concentration or switch off from what they should be doing. Throughout his coaching career, he has not been afraid to call out individuals who let standards drop during sessions, to make sure they know this is not acceptable.

“Xabi is very demanding, but with respect,” Grimaldo told The Athletic last year. “If you misplace a pass at training, he says, ‘Come on, you can’t make that mistake’.”

Madrid play Juventus in the last 16 of the Club World Cup (Pedro Castillo/Real Madrid via Getty Images)

Alonso’s Leverkusen team, who won an unbeaten German league and cup double in the 2023-24 season, were renowned for their compact organisation, quick counter-pressing and rehearsed patterns of play that moved the ball forward with precision and structure. That required lots of repetitive work on the training ground, with players fully buying into what their coaches were asking them to do.

The Basque has brought most of his Leverkusen staff with him to Madrid, including Parrilla, analyst Alberto Encinas, and fitness coach Ismael Camenforte Lopez. Along with Benat Labaien (an analyst and assistant coach, another new hire) and coach Luis Llopis (Madrid’s goalkeeping coach since 2021), they form a close-knit group, planning each session with a clear purpose, something specific they want the players to do differently or better.

This can involve working one-on-one with a particular player, or a group of several players, or by lines on the pitch — defence, midfield or forwards. An objective in early sessions at Madrid has been making the team more cohesive and compact in both attack and defence, with players thinking and moving as one. Sessions have then tended to conclude with seven-on-seven games in smaller spaces.

Some of the most noticeable changes under Alonso have come during warm-ups and physical work. In recent seasons, those areas were overseen by Antonio Pintus, whose old-school methods included long runs to build fitness.

Sources familiar with the approach of fitness coach Camenforte Lopez, who has a background at Barcelona’s La Masia youth academy, point to his interest and knowledge of football tactics. Each fitness exercise is designed to also prepare the team for particular match situations. This makes for more interesting drills for players, but also means they must be mentally switched on throughout each session.

Alonso also often uses video to teach his players what he wants from them. Drone footage is captured at each training session and analysts record each game from high in the stadium.

“(Video) plays a fundamental role,” Alonso said in response to a question from The Athletic in Miami. “On the field, it’s very hot and not always possible. In the afternoon, at the hotel, we use the videos. We use it a lot, collectively, by lines, individually. It’s a dynamic not just for now, but for the whole season.”

⚡️👀

Real Madrid have hired a company to work with the drone that records the training sessions under Xabi Alonso in Palm Beach.

Two people from this company are in charge of flying the drone during the sessions.@TheAthleticFC pic.twitter.com/DftZaBrEg3

— Mario Cortegana (@MarioCortegana) June 29, 2025

The big question is how Madrid’s galactico-filled squad will react to the demands of their new boss. Detail-focused coaches who micro-manage training have historically struggled to gain acceptance from the Bernabeu dressing room. Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane had their own tactical ideas, but showed flexibility in empowering important players to make their own decisions, and both guided the team to multiple Champions League titles.

“I respect and value Carlo’s work a lot, but now we’re beginning a new stage,” Alonso told reporters on the eve of the Club World Cup. “We’ve a good base to work with, but we’ll do things our way. There are things we’re going to correct, to make the team better.”

Arriving at the end of a long season, and immediately having to play competitive matches in challenging, hot conditions, is another challenge for Alonso.

“Everything has had to be sped up,” he told reporters on arrival in Miami, pointing to having just three sessions with his full squad before their first game against Al Hilal.

“Alonso wants to see his way of playing, a different way to defend and a different way to attack,” Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said after that opener finished 1-1. “We were with Ancelotti for four years. Changing to what the new coach wants doesn’t happen in four days. We’re trying, we’re watching videos, talking a lot, and it will get better.”

After their second game against Mexican side Pachuca, when Madrid won 3-1 despite playing most of the game with 10 men, midfielder Bellingham said: “It’s incredible to learn from someone like Xabi. We’re going to be like sponges, to learn everything.”

Alonso changed the team’s shape from its previous 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2 for game three, in which Madrid beat Red Bull Salzburg 3-0 to top the group and qualify to meet Juventus in the round of 16 on Tuesday in Miami.

“It’s all very new,” forward Vinicius Jr said after he scored the first goal and assisted the second. “Xabi has arrived with a new idea and is introducing us to it, bit by bit. It’s been two very good weeks, we’re gaining confidence, and trying to understand as quickly as possible what he wants.”

A source close to a long-serving Madrid player told The Athletic that the squad had been really impressed with the new coach and his staff, especially their fresh message of “optimism” and “positivity”.

Another source close to a different squad member wondered whether so much intensity and specific instruction would be “sustainable” over the long term, and especially whether well-established players would have the “humility” to accept all Alonso’s ideas.

But so far, even the biggest names in Madrid’s squad appear completely in sync with what their new boss is asking of them.

(Top photo: Pedro Castillo/Real Madrid via Getty Images)