Three questions and three answers from Real Madrid 3-0 RB Salzburg

Real Madrid got the job done to top group H at the FIFA Club World Cup by beating Austrian side RB Salzburg 3-0 in Philadelphia at the Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday night. After a slow start, Vinícius Júnior broke the deadlock on 40 minutes from the edge of the box and then set up Fede Valverde to score his second goal of the tournament in injury time of the first half, with Gonzalo García breaking away to make it three in the closing stages of the game.

Three answers

1. Which side of the draw would Real Madrid end up on?

Sadly for Real Madrid, victory over RB Salzburg and topping the group actually makes their lives a little more challenging. The result is that Real Madrid are now on the trickier side of the draw, with Juventus up next in the last 16, followed by a potential game against Borussia Dortmund or Sergio Ramos’ Monterrey in the quarter-final. The real test would come in the semi-finals, which could pit Los Blancos up against Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain. Failure to win would’ve put Real Madrid against the equally challenging Manchester City, and then Champions League finalists Inter, but would’ve made for a smoother semi-final against Benfica, Chelsea, Palmeiras or Botafogo. However, Xabi Alonso was clear pre-match, “winning the match is our aim, it’s not a good idea to look at that [and do anything but going for the win], it’s not a good message for anyone. The feelings we have are important. I’ve seen the table, I’m not blind, but we’re going to go out and win.”

2. Who would replace Raúl Asencio in defence?

Xabi Alonso responded mysteriously when asked about this pre-match, saying, “I’ve thought about it, but I can’t say”, but when the line-ups were revealed it was clear why, as he didn’t just select one man to replace Raúl Asencio, but instead made the most of his squad depth to change shape completely and go for a back three, the system he used at Bayer Leverkusen. Despite going for a back four in his first two games, here we saw a back three deployed with Aurélien Tchouameni and Antonio Rüdiger joining Dean Huijsen, which allowed Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fran García to push up higher as wing-backs. With Rüdiger’s minutes still being managed he was replaced by Jacobo Ramón in the second half, but Alonso stuck with the system which could be an intriguing tactical tweak if this is his preferred approach, given that he’s deployed it at the very first opportunity of having enough options available in defence.

3. Would Gonzalo García be able to make the most of his chance?

With Kylian Mbappé now back in training and reports that Endrick Felipe could jet out to the United States to join the squad after overcoming an injury himself, this game looked like it could be Gonzalo García’s last shot at starting to stake his claim. He took it with both hands. While he registered the least touches of any outfield player, he scored a superbly-executed goal to wrap up the win as he played the full 90 minutes. Intriguingly, he also led the stats for the most tackles, relfecting Xabi Alonso’s desire to press high and showing his ability to do that. “He is a typical number 9, he reminds me of Raul,” Xabi Alonso told Kiyan Sobhani of Managing Madrid post-match. “He’s always in the right position and always waiting for the chance. His work ethic is great. The players from Castilla — they get a chance and they fight for it. That’s what he’s doing. We need him more.”

Three questions

1. Is Vinícius Júnior back?

It’s no secret that Vinícius Júnior has not been at his best for several months now, so it was a welcome surprise to see the Brazilian take the MVP award as he produced his best performance in some time. Scoring and assisting in the same game for the first time since December 2024, Vini looked to have his confidence back, producing match-high numbers for completed dribbles and chances created. He wasn’t knocked back when his strong chance on 20 minutes was saved comfortably after a tame right-footed shot, but his finish just before half-time was pinpoint and only minutes later he fed through Fede Valverde to double Real Madrid’s lead. Playing almost in a front two with Gonzalo García, who was putting in a lot of the leg work to press and keep the Salzburg defenders busy, Vini thrived as the main man. With Mbappé close to a return, that power balance could shift, even if the formation doesn’t.

2. Is Arda Güler first choice?

Turkish midfielder Arda Güler struggled to break into the team regularly under Carlo Ancelotti, but was brought on at half-time in Xabi Alonso’s debut game against Al Hilal and has now started against both Pachuca and RB Salzburg. With Tchouameni dropping into defence, there was once again a role for him in midfield, where he is building an increasingly strong connection with Jude Bellingham and on the right flank with Trent Alexander-Arnold. Where Ancelotti wasn’t convinced by his physicality, Güler won more duels than any other player on the field with nine, and he crucially led the field for progressive carries with 10. Still only 20, it seems that Xabi Alonso may have much more belief in the youngster than his predecessor did.

3. Will Xabi Alonso stick with a back three?

After the game, Xabi Alonso admitted that “it’s always been in my mind” as he explained that “the players have the football intelligence to understand why we use this shape, we had a lot of stability and control”, but perhaps most tellingly adding a final comment to say, “I like the flexibility”. That ability to change formations may be the approach that the new coach opts for, giving an element of unpredictability to Real Madrid which hasn’t been present for several years. With the back three providing more defensive stability, if Alonso has the options in defence, which seems likely with Éder Militão also close to a return to fitness, David Alaba working to recover and Raúl Asencio now having served his suspension, the back three could be a regular option.

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