Kylian Mbappe’s injury forces Xabi Alonso to rethink his attack for Sunday’s game against Betis and, in all likelihood, for the Supercopa de Espana as well. It is not just any absence. Mbappe has scored 29 goals in 24 games this season, more than 50% of the team’s goals, a figure that explains by itself the impact of his absence. The coach loses the player who has sustained his attack since his arrival
Without their offensive reference, Xabi has several options on the table. The most natural is to play Rodrygo Goes as a centre-forward. It is a position he knows and in which he can provide mobility and link-up play. In addition, Rodrygo ended the year in good form, leaving positive feelings both in terms of play and confidence, after breaking his nine-month goal drought. This variant would allow Franco Mastantuono to be introduced into the starting eleven, a creative option between the lines that would maintain the team’s attacking weight and also give the team aggressiveness in pressing.
Another possibility is to reinforce the midfield by moving Valverde to the right flank. This solution gives the team more muscle and balance, although it reduces pure offensive presence in the final meters. In this scenario, Rodrygo would again take on the role of the main man up front, with even greater responsibility in finishing.
The Club World Cup route: Gonzalo
Xabi does not rule out turning to Gonzalo, replicating the formula he used in the Club World Cup. It would be, paradoxically, the simplest and at the same time the most revolutionary option. Simple in structure – a fixed nine – and revolutionary because the coach has significantly lowered his interventionist profile with the youth players, lately opting for more conservative solutions.
There is also the alternative of playing without a clear centre-forward, with Vinicius and Rodrygo forming a partnership up front in a 4-4-2. This is a more dynamic approach, designed to attack space and increase speed in transition, although with less presence in the opponent’s box.
The range of options is conditioned by the context of the squad at the start of the year. Endrick has gone on loan to Olympique Lyonnais, so he is no longer an alternative, while Brahim Diaz is still concentrating on the Africa Cup of Nations with Morocco.
Vini’s drought
The situation is further complicated by the current form of Vinicius, who is far from his best goalscoring form. The Brazilian has gone 14 games without finding the net: ten in La Liga and four in the Champions League. His last goal came on October 4 against Villarreal (he scored twice that day), a drought that is too long for a player who is supposed to make a difference. It is a crisis that Madrid need to end as soon as possible, especially now that they do not have Mbappe to support the attack.
Vinicius’ numbers this season reflect this lack of accuracy: five goals in 24 official matches and, for example, no goals in six Champions League matches. Without their main goalscorer and with their second major attacking reference going through an obvious drought, the problem for Xabi Alonso is more than worrying at the start of 2026.
Read the full article here
