Real Madrid were recently eliminated from the Club World Cup following their disheartening 4-0 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinal on July 9. The Club World Cup was Xabi Alonso's first competition since taking charge as Real Madrid's head coach in May following the dismissal of Carlo Ancelotti.

The most obvious lesson Alonso learned against PSG was a front three of Kylian Mbappé, Gonzalo García and Vinícius Júnior does not work. After only starting two forwards in Real Madrid’s five consecutive victories in the Club World Cup, the former Bayer Leverkusen boss gave the nod to the three attackers in a head-scratching decision.

Xabi Alonso is looking forward to "starting from scratch" with Real Madrid next season after being thrown in at the deep end as coach of the Spanish giants in the Club World Cup.