Real Madrid are left surprised as manager Xabi Alonso has changed Alvaro Carreras' position for the La Liga clash at Levante on Tuesday, September 23. The new signing, who has played as a left-back in all games so far, is set to play as a center-back or right-back today, with Fran Garcia starting on the left.
Thibaut Courtois keeps his place in the starting XI as expected, as Dead Huijsen makes his way back into the starting XI after his one-match suspension. He will have Raul Asencio or Carreras as his partner, with Garcia playing as the left-back.
Dani Ceballos and Arda Guler are back in the lineup, and they play alongside Federico Valverde in the middle of the pitch. Franco Mastantuono, Kylian Mbappe, and Vinicius Jr are in attack once again, with Gonzalo Garcia heading back to the bench.
The team lineup has been well-received by the fans on X, but they are questioning Alonso's plans with Carreras. Many are puzzled by the Spaniard's position on the pitch and posted:
Real Madrid are aiming to make it six wins in six to start their league campaign. They are on top of the table, two points clear of defending champions Barcelona, who are also unbeaten this season so far.
Real Madrid on the right track, says Xabi Alonso
Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso is happy with his team's start this season after winning all six matches in all competitions so far. They have 15 points in the league, while edging out Marseille in the UEFA Champions League thanks to two penalties from Kylian Mbappe.
Speaking to the media ahead of the match, Alonso said in his press conference (via club website):
“We're improving, we're on the right track. We're still in the process of building the foundations and pillars. We need to be more consistent in our repetition. The other day we put in a strong, solid performance. We can improve, but that tells us we're doing things right. It's only six games, it's nothing. We must have the ambition to want more and be hungry. This year we want to collect a lot of points, and to do that we have to win a lot of games.”
Real Madrid appointed Xabi Alonso in the summer after parting ways with Carlo Ancelotti. The Spaniard took charge from the FIFA Club World Cup, where they made it to the semifinal, before losing to PSG.