Legendary Germany forward Jurgen Klinsmann offered his views on Real Madrid’s new manager, Xabi Alonso. Speaking to MARCA, Klinsmann discussed the significant tasks ahead, particularly concerning the team’s tactical setup. He highlighted the challenge of getting star attackers to contribute defensively.
Klinsmann focused on whether forwards like Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior could be convinced to help more in defense by pressing higher. He stated that only teams with Lionel Messi could afford to defend with ten players. Real Madrid is trying to get Mbappe and Vinicius to drop back and defend.
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When asked if he was convinced Xabi Alonso could achieve this, Klinsmann answered honestly with a laugh, “No, really.” He explained that Mbappe is no longer young, and Vinicius sees that other forwards don’t defend much either, so he doesn’t put in significant defensive work himself.
Klinsmann noted these are two strong personalities Alonso must manage. He believes the team will find ways to compensate for any defensive gaps and maximize the attacking talents of both players. Similar issues arose at PSG for two years with Neymar, Mbappe, and Messi, where it didn’t work out defensively.
The former forward also mentioned River Plate, where they are trying to integrate Mastantuono into the system, but he also doesn’t do much defending.
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Klinsmann agreed it will be difficult for Xabi to get both Mbappe and Vinicius to defend more regularly. Alonso’s successful aggressive pressing tactics from Bayer Leverkusen face a unique test managing Real Madrid’s world-class attackers.
