Less than six weeks into the new La Liga season and Xabi Alonso is closing in on a record-breaking start as Real Madrid manager.
Real's 4-1 demolition of Levante on Tuesday meant Alonso became only the second Los Blancos coach to win all of his first six Liga matches in charge.
Win his seventh and Alonso matches the club record set by Vanderlei Luxemburgo 20 years ago when his Real team – that included the Galacticos of Roberto Carlos, Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham and the Brazilian Ronaldo – won 2-1 away to Osasuna.
But if the class of 2025 are to achieve it, they will have to do so in the high-pressure environment of a Madrid derby against Atletico at the Metropolitano Stadium on Saturday.
“We've been together for 51 days and there is a long way to go yet,” insisted Alonso, who took over from Carlo Ancelotti in May, after defeating Levante.
“There is still room for improvement but we're on the right track. Not only with the results but also how we're doing things. We can't stop, this is just the beginning.”
The former Real Madrid and Spain midfielder's hopes of instant silverware at this summer's Fifa Club World Cup were dashed brutally by the newly crowned European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals.
PSG, who had thrashed Inter Milan 5-0 in the Uefa Champions League final to seal their first European Cup, dealt out a chastening 4-0 battering to Alonso's side.
“We start a new age after a break, with fresh minds,” said Alonso after the humbling at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium. “We were one match away and it's painful and let's see what happens now.”
And those minds have indeed come back freshened with Madrid starting the domestic season in spectacular fashion, winning six out of six to top the table by two points.
Leading that charge from the front has been Kylian Mbappe, who has followed up his Pichichi Trophy winning tally of 31 goals last season by notching seven already this campaign – including a second-half double against Levante.
That came on top of a man-of-the-match display in the Champions League comeback win over Marseille where the France captain scored two nerveless penalties to earn victory, despite Real playing out the last 18 minutes with 10 men.
It took Mbappe to 50 goals in 64 appearances for the club, the fewest number of games since Cristiano Ronaldo managed it in 54.
“This type of performance is written in the DNA of Real Madrid,” said Mbappe after the win at the Santiago Bernabeu.
“You trust yourself, you trust your fellow players, even with 10 men. Everyone around you wants to win and pushes you on and today nobody was stressed and we produced the victory we needed.”
The array of attacking options at the manager's disposal is formidable, with Franco Mastantuono, Arda Guler, Vinicius Junior, and Mbappe starting against Levante.
Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham, who was making only his second appearance of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery, both appeared as late substitutes, while Brahim Diaz and Endrick did not even make it off the bench.
“Having quality players makes everything easier, and it doesn't take much training for them to understand our ideas and what we're looking for,” said Alonso, who saw Mastantuono, 18, score his first goal since his summer move from River Plate.
“Everyone who came in did a great job. We don't want to mess things around too much either, we're in a decent groove.”
Squad rotation and keeping this level of talent happy is something Alonso will quickly need to master as there have already been moments of discontent.
Vinicius Jr's frustration was evident after being substituted with 13 minutes left during Saturday's 2-0 win against Espanyol. The Brazilian has completed only one full game in Alonso's 12 in charge.
“The only thing missing for him today was a goal,” insisted Alonso after the game. “Maybe I could have waited a little longer to substitute him, but I wanted to bring on some fresh players on the wing.
“The same thing happened with Mastantuono. He also got mad at me … They were a little angry, but it happens to everyone.
“It's great that we have so many options in our squad. If I didn't make decisions, I wouldn't be here. That's my job.”
Three days later, Alonso's call was vindicated. Vinicius opened the scoring against Levante with a superb curling finish with the outside of his boot before going on to play the full 90 minutes.
“Luka Modric taught me to shoot like that,” said the Brazilian afterwards. “It's one of my most beautiful goals, I don't think I'd ever got one like that before.
“We played really well from the off, with our pressing and on the ball. If we play like that, we're always going to win.”
Next up is capital rivals Atletico, who go into the match on the back of a comeback victory at home to Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday night.
Diego Simeone's side were 2-1 down when Julian Alvarez scored twice in the last 10 minutes to complete his hat-trick and seal only Atleti's second win of the campaign, lifting them into the top half of La Liga.
“He is extraordinary, our best player,” Simeone said of the Argentine forward after his first treble for the club. “We need him at his best.”
It was a much-needed boost going into the derby with Atletico nine points behind their rivals. “It will be a fantastic game, against a rival that has been playing well,” Simeone added. “It’s going to be a tough opponent.”
