The monumental journey of Bayern Munich veteran David Alaba has finally come to a close. The Austrian was the heart and soul of Bayern’s defence and after spending 13-years with the Bavarians he has found his new home in Madrid.
Real Madrid, last week announced that the 28-year-old Austrian will soon be offering his services at Los Blancos.
👕 #WelcomeAlaba@David_Alaba | @adidasfootball pic.twitter.com/i2AA4AhszI
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) May 28, 2021
David Alaba and silverware are synonymous with each other. The 10 time Bundesliga winner brings a massive amount of experience to the Real Madrid ship.
The end of an ERA!!!
David Alaba, Jerome Boateng, Javi Martinez and Hansi Flick say goodbye to Bayern Munich after winning every single trophy possible. pic.twitter.com/bKe6PObanl
— Complete Sports (@CompleteSports) May 22, 2021
On the other hand, the experienced Austrian might find it difficult to play for Los Blancos week in and week out without being injured. This might harm the algorithms of Madrid’s defence who are looking to become a dominant outfit in Europe once again.
But the real question is will David Alaba provide the much-needed balance to Real Madrid’s squad or will he be a failure in Spain?
WHAT DOES ALABA BRING TO THE TABLE?
Bayern Munich remains to be one of the strongest teams in world football. The 2019/20 treble winners are exceptional against any opposition. But the Germans have always been heavily dependent on their attack with the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller in their armoury, the Bavarians like the sound of the net bulging. But goals can win you matches but to win tournaments you need a solid backline.
And David Alaba outshined everyone in the defence for their team. The departure of Hummels to rival club Dortmund and injury to German centre-back Sule meant Hansi Flick had to find interim solutions. Alaba turned out to be the answer to all his questions as the Austrian adapted to his new centre-back role quite successfully.
When Alaba arrives in Madrid, he could easily compete with the likes of Ramos and Varane. The snubbing of Ramos from Spain’s squad marked the arrival of the downfall of the Spaniard. And Alaba could turn out to be the first choice of Zidane’s successor.
And even if Alaba fails to make it to the eleven as centre-back he could go back to his original role as a defensive midfielder. Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are magicians when they have the ball but Alaba’s presence could give them more freedom to attack with.
The link-up play for Los Blancos this season has turned out to be quite weak as Kroos was lingering near the half-line area for most parts of the game trying to find his strikers from long balls. But the Austrian’s attendance as a defensive midfielder would give the magicians more space to produce some magical spells on the pitch.
Love my additional baggage. ❤️
What a journey it has been! @FCBayern pic.twitter.com/Ml7V5EqWKK— David Alaba (@David_Alaba) May 27, 2021
Though Madrid boasts of some experienced campaigners, Alaba is nothing less than red wine- A drink that ages to perfection. Alaba can ignite the dominance and leadership Real needs after a trophyless campaign. Last but not the least, he could don the captain’s armband if the senior players are absent on a given matchday. And well his goal-scoring abilities can never be doubted.
A VULNERABLE CENTER-BACK?
Like there are two sides to a coin, Alaba also has some weaknesses that can be easily exploited. The Madrid squad lacked pace in the middle and it was evident when a young Chelsea squad ran riot at Stamford Bridge. And Alaba who’s on the wrong side of age might find it difficult when he’s up against young blood in Spain.
MASON MOUNT MAKES IT 2-0 FOR CHELSEA! pic.twitter.com/lUd19OKJRa
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 5, 2021
The Austrian tends to rush into a tackle not realizing where he has to be positioned and if there’s someone to cover up for his mistakes. Bayern Munich would brush aside rivals with a massive number of goals so even if they conceded a few it never made a difference.
But Alaba might come under the scanner when he wears the prestigious white jersey because the quality of opposition is better in La Liga. Scoring 5 or 6 goals in every match is an unimaginable scenario in Spain whereas, in Germany, Bayern’s opposite numbers were always prepared for a goal-scoring fest.
Neymar consoles David Alaba after knocking Bayern Munich out of the Champions League.
Returning the favour from last season's final. Touch of class. #UCL pic.twitter.com/oZC2EXW4Xx
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) April 13, 2021
Worth-mentioning is the fact that Alaba is a vulnerable defender. Though he has all the assets to be a centre-back he’s no Van Dijk or Ruben Dias. Madrid’s major headache last season was their never-ending injury list. But if Varane and Ramos are up and running once again, Alaba might find a home on the Los Blancos bench.
Also, Zidane showed considerable faith in Nacho and Militao and if the new man in charge of Madrid decides to read Zidane’s notes, Alaba might rarely be a part of the team sheet.
A SENSATION OR A FLOP?
Zinedine Zidane’s departure from this campaign means there will be a change in administration. And if Alaba proves his mettle in training he might turn out to be a starter. But unfortunately, age is a huge problem for Madrid’s defence. Also, Real Madrid hasn’t been shopping in the transfer market for a while and this season could be their time to splash some bucks.
If Perez finds a better and a younger centre-back that can fill in the shoes of Ramos, Alaba might be just playing Copa Del Ray and friendlies for Los Blancos. But the ex-Bayern Munich man does know how to win trophies and might instil the much-needed enthusiasm at Santiago Bernabeu.
