The new era of R Madrid won four consecutive wins in a row What is the skill of manager Xavi Alonso, who has achieved such success? – Soccer Travel from Spain – Overseas Soccer Column: Daily Sports

Real Madrid, who has been leading the league with four consecutive wins since the start of the Spanish league, are off to a good start this season.

As the team, which invited Xavi Alonso to replace Ancelotti, began a new era, they spent a total of 179 million euros (approximately 30.43 billion yen), the league's top position in the transfer market this summer, to strengthen the four players.

He quickly set out to strengthen his defense, which was his biggest challenge last season, and successfully signed Spanish national team defender Heisen, England national team defender Alexander Arnold, and Spanish defender Karelas. Looking ahead, he signed a contract with young Argentine national team midfielder Mustantuono for a transfer fee of 63 million euros (approximately 10.71 billion yen), the highest amount in Spain this summer.

■Rejuvenated to an average age of 25 and 2 years old

In addition to the above four, Asensio and Gonzalo, the top scorer of the Club World Cup, have been promoted to the top team. Meanwhile, Modric, Lucas Vazquez and Vallejo have left the team, bringing the number of members this season to 25, more than usual (Mustantuono is registered as a B team). Only five people over the age of 30 are Courtois, Alaba, Rudiger, Carvajal and Mendy, so the average age is 25.2 years old.

All positions are covered by two or more players, but the players are five center backs (Militon, Asensio, Alaba, Heisen and Rudiger), three left-backs (Calleras, Fran Garcia, Mendi), and three center forwards (Mbappe, Endoricki, Gonzalo), making it clear that the player base is thicker than the other positions.

The new Xavi Alonso team began with the Club World Cup, where they were eliminated in the semi-finals, and the following preseason was forced to start this season in just two weeks, so there were concerns about the shorter preparation and shorter rest period. In the four matches so far, many of the opponents have been on the defensive side and have been forced to send out, so there have been many difficult times, but they have shown strength to win everything and take the lead.

What skill did manager Xavi Alonso demonstrate in his team's success?

■Mbappe has been in good condition for 4 games, 4 goals

As for the system, attention was focused on whether they would be able to compete in the three-back game during the Leberkusen era. While achieving a good record of 8 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss in 10 official matches since the Club World Cup, he has been testing various systems, including 4-3-3, 3-5-2, and mid-season diamond-shaped 4-4-2. In the last three matches, Mbappe has been chosen as one-sided and Gurrel is placed at the bottom of the team.

Mbappe, who was entrusted with the front line, struggled to function as a center forward in the first half of the race last season, last year in his first year at the race, but he ultimately achieved two titles, the Spanish league top scorer and the Golden Shoe. This season, he has shown his true potential from the start of the season, mass-producing goals at a high pace, scoring four goals in four games and an average of one goal per game, leading his team to victory.

The success was also the fact that Gurrell was the center of the attack. He didn't play much until last season, but this season he gained the trust of the manager and has started in all four games so far. He uses accurate kicks as a set piece kicker, playing more aggressively, honing his scoring ability and scoring two goals and one assist.

Coach Xavi Alonso has decided to compete in the left wing of Rodrigo, who has been rumored to have him leaving this summer. This seems to have a positive effect in that it inspires a sense of crisis against Vinicius and allows Rodrigo to play in his position that he is best at. Vinicius, who had not performed well until then, was eliminated in the starting lineup in the second round match against Oviedo, and after coming on as a substitute, he scored one goal and assisted, regaining his true self.

■Carvajal and Militon return

It is also important that all new players are ready to take part. Among them, Heisen and Curreras quickly became established in the starting lineup, while 18-year-old Mustoutono suddenly started in his second game he joined. Furthermore, Carvajal and Militon, who had been hit hard for most of last season due to a serious injury to torn anterior cruciate ligament, can be said to be the biggest “large reinforcement” of the summer. The battle for the right-back between Alexander-Arnold and Carvajal will be the most intense for the team this season.

Additionally, the solid defense built by manager Xavi Alonso has received high praise on the local area. By saying goodbye to the lowly defensive blocks of the Ancelotti era and instilling this awareness in Mbappe and Vinicius, who were often pointed out for neglecting defense, he has been able to perform high presses and defend from the front line throughout the team.

Furthermore, Valverde, who has been extremely trusted by manager Xavi Alonso, said, “I'm sure all managers want,” and Chuameni, who is in great form this season as a balancer on both offensive and defensive days, has formed a double midfielder to play, and the defenders, who have a strong player base, have shown great performances, and only 12 shots on target were hit by the opponent in four games. Courtois is not too threatened with his goals, and has saved fewer saves than usual. So far, they have only conceded two goals. Both were set pieces (catch and penalty kick), and they have not yet conceded a single goal from the flow.

■ A 26-hour round trip Kazakh expedition

R. Madrid will then start with his first European Champions League match against Marseille, which will be held at home on the 16th, and will compete in six official matches in the three weeks leading up to next month's International A match period. These include tough games such as the Madrid Derby and the Kairat Almaty match in Kazakhstan, which takes 26 hours to travel.

In addition to two injuries (Mendy and Endrikki) that began before the start of the season, Rudiger will also have to face this overcrowded schedule in a situation where he suffered serious injuries last week, with two and a half to three months of recovery. Attention is focused on how manager Xavi Alonso, who has been steadily building his team up to this point, will face this initial challenge, and what will happen in the midfield, where Bellingham and Kamavinga will return and there will be no injuries.

[Takahashi Tomoyuki](Nickan Sports.com/Soccer Column “Soccer Journey from Spain”)