Xabi Alonso has identified the main problem of the current Real Madrid: the lack of a brain in the midfield.
Since the departure of Toni Kroos—and with Modric's decline—the white team has lost control and rhythm of their game.
For Xabi, that is the key difference with Barça: "they have Pedri and we have no one to fulfill that role." Xabi Alonso knows this very well because he played his entire career as a pivot, organizing, building, and destroying.
The difference between Barça and the current Real Madrid is marked by Pedri
The coach from Tolosa is a fervent admirer of Pedri. In fact, he considers that the only difference that justifies Barça's superiority over Madrid is Pedri.
He has set out to discover the Madridist Pedri, the man who can make Toni Kroos forgotten, whose absence the white team still feels.
Alonso knows what Madrid needs. He has found his "white Pedri." It is none other than Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The Englishman, who will arrive in the coming days, doesn't convince as much as a full-back due to his defensive gaps, nor does he have Carvajal's competitive weight. But for Xabi, his place is in the middle.
Alonso sees Alexander-Arnold as a new Xabi Alonso, someone capable of receiving between the lines, launching with precision, and setting the tempo of the match. It is no coincidence that the Basque coach has confessed his admiration for Pedri and seeks a similar profile to return dominance to Real Madrid.
Xabi Alonso already has the cornerstone of his project: Kroos's replacement
"When you see Madrid hitting long balls and waiting for the play to fall from the sky, you know something is missing," Kroos recently stated. Thus, he unknowingly agreed with the future coach of Real Madrid. Xabi wants to return to the model that made Real Madrid a formidable team: balance, control, calm, and talent.
The arrival of Alexander-Arnold will not be to reinforce the full-back position. Xabi sees him as the starting midfielder, the one who gives meaning to a team that needs less speed and more brains. It is not just a signing; it is the cornerstone of his project.
If Pedri has been key to Barça's reconstruction, Alexander-Arnold will be the equivalent for Madrid. A new beginning with its own brain.