Every body: Real Madrid’s lineup is under-rotated, and Alonso relies too much on five players including Mbappe and Valverde

"Daily Sports" wrote an article analyzing Real Madrid's lineup problems, believing that Alonso relied too much on core players and the team's lineup did not rotate enough.

Under the leadership of Alonso, Real Madrid performed strongly at the beginning of the season, but it has appeared a bit weak in recent games. Los Blancos have also shown a worrying trend: a lack of rotation in their squad. After 16 games, the data shows that the team's over-reliance on certain players and this management style, although effective in the short term, may have a negative impact at critical moments in the season.

Alonso's "untouchable" five

Five players have played more than 1,200 minutes this season, averaging 75 minutes per game: Courtois, Mbappe, Carreras, Valverde and Joan Ameni. They are the pillars of Alonso's tactical system. Among them, Courtois and Mbappe start every game and become the core leaders of the team.

Vinicius and Guler also participated in all 16 games, but they rested more than the above five players and appeared as substitutes many times. In the left position, Alonso gave Rodrigo some opportunities, but the Brazilian failed to grasp them.

Unbalanced lineup

The problem is not only the lack of rotation, but also the imbalance of the team's lineup configuration. Certain positions such as left back and left winger are overstaffed, while other positions lack suitable replacements. This results in Fran Garcia, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Gonzalo, Enderrick and Rudiger averaging less than 15 minutes per game. In addition, Lunin and Ferland Mendy have not yet played this season, one of them is absent due to injury, and the other is Courtois's backup goalkeeper.

This situation is in sharp contrast to other wealthy clubs. For example, at Barcelona, ​​only Eric Garcia has played more than 1,200 minutes.

Is it a risky strategy or a lack of confidence?

Alonso's strategy can be interpreted as his search for tactical stability in his first season. However, the lack of opportunities for those who feature less often has started to cause dissatisfaction within the squad. Players like Rodrygo, Ceballos, Diaz, Mastantono and others may cause problems in the locker room if they do not get a chance to play.

In addition, the lack of rotation also hinders the development of young talents such as Endrick and Gonzalo, who are regarded as future main players. Enderrick has considered playing on loan in France, while Gonzalo has disappeared from the Spanish team's candidate list and has not even gotten a chance to play at Real Madrid.