Real Madrid`s characteristic spectacle was on display during their Club World Cup win against Borussia Dortmund at MetLife Stadium. What looked like a comfortable 2-0 lead late in the match turned into a dramatic 3-2 finish by the final whistle, complete with a late red card. This chaotic ending, while securing a semi-final spot, underscored existing lineup concerns and created new ones for manager Xabi Alonso.
Before the late drama unfolded, 21-year-old Gonzalo Garcia seemed poised to be the star, scoring the opening goal after just 10 minutes – his fourth of the tournament. He wasn`t the only young player making an impact; 20-year-old Arda Guler provided the assist for Garcia`s goal, and new signing Trent Alexander-Arnold registered his own assist on Fran Garcia`s goal just 10 minutes later. This opening goal, featuring Guler`s precise long ball and Gonzalo Garcia`s clever finish, offered a glimpse into Real Madrid`s promising next generation of attackers.
More than 80 minutes after Garcia`s early strike, Kylian Mbappe entered the match and matched the young player`s impact with a stunning winning goal – a spectacular flying kick. This decisive moment showcased the undeniable quality that made him a key signing last year, but also brought back into focus the ongoing dilemma of how best to fit Mbappe into the Real Madrid lineup.
Although Garcia initially stepped in due to Mbappe`s illness, his impressive form makes it challenging for new manager Xabi Alonso to drop the 21-year-old, especially as Real Madrid is close to securing their first trophy since the 2023-24 Champions League. Alonso`s Real Madrid is still a work in progress, aiming to replicate the high intensity of his Bayer Leverkusen team, and showing signs of needing to evolve from the four successful but sometimes inconsistent years under Carlo Ancelotti. Finding a balance in the attack became particularly tricky with Mbappe`s arrival; this isn`t a knock on his quality (43 goals prove otherwise), but Ancelotti struggled to accommodate him alongside Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo.
Consequently, many believed Alonso`s main objective as the new Real Madrid manager was to seamlessly integrate Mbappe into the team, with the Club World Cup providing an early opportunity to address this. However, Mbappe`s gastroenteritis unfortunately disrupted this plan, causing him to miss the group stage and even making his availability for Saturday a game-day decision for Alonso. His limited playing time against Juventus and his 23-minute appearance at MetLife Stadium indicate that Alonso might face a difficult decision between starting Garcia and Mbappe for the upcoming semi-final clash against Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappe`s former club.
While Alonso hasn`t entirely dismissed the possibility of Garcia and Mbappe playing alongside Vinicius, determining how these three can effectively combine presents a new challenge for the Real Madrid manager. This complexity exists even considering the likely departure of Rodrygo, which should theoretically ease Alonso`s task. Garcia`s strong performance represents a “champagne problem” – a positive yet tricky situation typical of an elite club like Real Madrid. However, a positive problem still requires a solution. Securing victories, as Madrid did on Saturday, is the most crucial aspect, but Mbappe`s role in achieving these wins could ultimately define Alonso`s legacy at Real Madrid, even at this early stage of his tenure.
