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Former Real Madrid star winger Gareth Bale expects new head coach Xabi Alonso to make "big changes" at the club, considering he is not scared to "drop anyone".
After savouring success with Bayer Leverkusen, Alonso left the German side and returned to Madrid to add silverware after Los Blancos endured a trophyless season under former coach Carlos Ancelotti. Bale, who won five Champions League and three LaLiga titles with Real Madrid, pondered whether Alonso can conjure a style of play that allows the team's premier forwards Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior to operate in a coherent team. "I think if you look off what he did at Leverkusen, yes, and now he's arguably got better players to work with and I imagine a bigger transfer kitty. So I would like to think Xabi has got the respect of the players, and the players will play for him. So I expect big changes and I expect them to play the way he wants them, and if they don't, I don't think Xabi's scared to drop anyone," Bale said ESPN FC TV. "So I would like to think Xabi has got the respect of the players and the players will play for him. So I expect big changes and I expect them to play the way he wants them and if they don't, I don't think Xabi's scared to drop anyone," he added. Ahead of the upcoming season, Madrid have made two prominent acquisitions. Defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold was brought in from Liverpool, and Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth. The duo were unavailable as Real Madrid's 2024/25 campaign ended without a trophy following their 4-0 hammering against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at the Club World Cup semi-finals. The result attracted widespread criticism for Mbappe, despite his rich goal-scoring form. After making a move from Paris to Madrid, PSG lifted its maiden UEFA Champions League and stormed into the Club World Cup final despite Mbappe's absence. On the other hand, Mbappe netted 31 goals to finish as La Liga's top goal-scorer but failed to save Madrid from a trophyless season. "It's a difficult one because he's still scoring the goals, he's still doing good things, it's just they haven't won anything this season. I think at Real Madrid you're expected to win everything, so it's a tough one because he's still delivering on the pitch, but maybe he's not having those moments," Bale said of Mbappe. "So I guess it's now up to Xabi to find that blend of pressing and trying to get the best out of him and saving his energy for when you need him. So yeah, it's going to be a tough one. I wouldn't like to criticise him and say he's had a bad season because of the goals and everything. But yeah, being his name, what you're expecting him to do, of course, everyone's going to always expect more," he added. (ANI)
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