Bellingham bounced back against Alaves thanks to Alonso's adjustments.
The victory against Alaves became Jude Bellingham's breakout moment: a game-perfect assist for Mbappe and statistics showing his presence all over the pitch. Xabi Alonso is finding a new role for Bellingham to thrive in alongside the attacking stars.
In Vitoria, Jude Bellingham didn't just "play well" in the conventional sense. He played exactly as Real Madrid had hoped when they signed him: he was both a playmaker and a defensive midfielder, acting as a link to convert Kylian Mbappe's runs into goals. The victory against Alaves, therefore, was a milestone – a moment where Bellingham's best version returned at just the right time.
Last summer, Bellingham shed the burden of shoulder surgery. But in the early weeks of the season, Real Madrid fans still saw a star who had moments of brilliance, but lacked the "overwhelming" presence he had when he first arrived at the Bernabeu. Against Alaves, that feeling returned: Bellingham finished, dribbled, assisted, recovered the ball, and dictated the game, all in a relentless tempo.
The unlocking moment: the pass to Mbappe and a new "common language".
The most memorable moment was the assist that led to Mbappe's opening goal, making it 1-0. It wasn't just a decisive pass; it was a test of spatial awareness and timing. Bellingham read the space, chose the perfect moment to release the ball and capitalize on Mbappe's speed, turning what could have been an ordinary situation into a clear advantage for Real Madrid.
More importantly, the understanding between Bellingham and Mbappe is the signal that coach Xabi Alonso needs. When a team has many attacking players who like to hog the spotlight, the "common language" often comes from very small details: who stretches the defense, who runs into the half-space, who maintains the tempo so the others can break through. Against Alaves, Real Madrid began to show the answer.
The numbers tell the story of a complete midfielder.
Before the Alaves game, Bellingham still had decent statistics: 4 goals and 4 assists. But this kind of data can be misleading — because it doesn't measure the extent to which a midfielder dominates every play. At Mendizorroza, the data and the feeling aligned: Bellingham was both the playmaker and the fighter.
| Jude Bellingham's statistics against Alaves | Value |
|---|---|
| Successful pass | 60 |
| A pass in the final third of the field. | 17 |
| Opportunities created | 2 |
| Shot on target | 2 |
| Successful dribble | 3 |
| Recover the ball | 6 |
| Winning the one-on-one duel | 9 |
| Successful tackle | 3 |
Looking at the statistics, it can be seen that Bellingham has "filled" many roles at the same time. He leads Real Madrid in the number of successful passes (60) and the number of passes in the final third of the field (17), far ahead of the second-placed Arda Guler. He also shares the leading position in the number of chances created (2) with Valverde.
In terms of finishing, Bellingham was on par with Mbappe in terms of shots on target (2) and successful dribbles (3). But what made this performance significant was the intensity of his off-ball play: 6 recoveries, 9 duels won, and 3 successful tackles. It was the image of a true "total football" player — someone who was present at every hot spot to drive Real Madrid forward.
The tactical turning point under Xabi Alonso: taking a step back to explode.
Bellingham's biggest challenge this season is regaining his place in a changed system. Two seasons ago, Carlo Ancelotti built a diamond formation around Bellingham, placing him in areas with plenty of space near the penalty box. But now, those attacking areas belong to Mbappe.
Xabi Alonso therefore faced a double challenge: how to keep Bellingham as the central attacking threat without overlapping with the forwards, while also avoiding overlap with Arda Guler. At Mendizorroza, the solution emerged through the tactical arrangement. Bellingham played deeper than Mbappe and Vinicius; when defending, he resembled a false left-sided midfielder; when attacking, he became a false number 10 with the freedom to appear in the "inner corridors".
This adjustment produced two clear tactical effects as demonstrated on the field: (1) Bellingham had more one-on-one situations where he could use his stride and strength to pull the ball through the midfield; (2) surprise runs into space were no longer mandatory in every situation, but became the "finishing touch" at the right moment. In other words, he took a step back to gain more momentum for a burst of speed, instead of having to stand ready in crowded areas.
Impact: Real Madrid rediscovered their dominance, and Bellingham was the driving force.
If Mbappe and Rodrygo are the names that can appear on the scoresheet, then Bellingham is like the "engine" that keeps everything running smoothly: circulating the ball enough to dominate, but still being aggressive enough to quickly win it back and re-attack. For a Real Madrid striving to regain their familiar dominance, this is the kind of performance that can lift the entire system.
And perhaps the most important news for Xabi Alonso: there's no need to transform Bellingham into a different version of himself to make room for Mbappe. Simply putting him in the right position, at the right tempo, Bellingham can still be the player who makes the biggest difference – in the most comprehensive way.
