Xabi Alonso breaks Carlo Ancelotti tradition during first Real Madrid La Liga match and it marks a new era

Xabi Alonso has broken a Carlo Ancelotti tradition ahead of taking charge of his first La Liga game for Real Madrid.

Alonso replaced Ancelotti this summer as he oversaw Real's Club World Cup campaign in the United States.

The Spanish giants reached the semi-finals before being dumped out by Paris Saint-Germain, who ran out 4-0 winners.

Alonso has had one match since in preparation for the 2025/26 campaign, beating Austrian outfit WSG Tirol 4-0.

Real open their La Liga campaign with a home fixture against Osasuna on Tuesday.

Speaking ahead of his side's first league fixture of the new season, the 43-year-old said they are making progress and taking steps in the right direction.

"We're making progress. It's difficult to assess the level, there's no gauge that can measure it, but we're taking steps in the right direction," he said. "I'm sure there's still some way to go, but the key things, the fundamentals, were being introduced at the Club World Cup, and now we've gone a bit deeper over the last couple of weeks.

"From here, we just have to keep going, the feelings around the place are positive."

Xabi Alonso fields questions during a pre-match press conference. Image: Getty

Alonso has named his XI for their clash against Osasuna with kick-off fast approaching as summer signings Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen and Alvaro Carreras all feature from the start.

Team news dropped around 70 minutes before kick-off, which is a contrast to how Ancelotti approached matchdays.

The veteran Italian manager announced his line-ups two hours before kick-off, per Spanish outlet Marca.

Alonso has made a change to Real's pre-match routine, marking a new era.

Xabi Alonso during a Real Madrid training session ahead of their league clash against Osasuna. Image: Getty

The legendary midfielder enjoyed five seasons at the Bernabeu as a player following his transfer from Liverpool in the summer of 2009.

He's excited to deliver a new project but refused to issue any promises to the fans.

"I much prefer doing things than saying them - making promises before you've done anything doesn't tend to work in football," he explained.

"We're working hard and people are excited, you can sense that. We're eager as well, we can't wait to start this new project, with new players, a new coach, bringing that energy to the stadium. We have to earn it, and we want to start tomorrow in order to make our way towards where we want to be in May."