In balancing Madrid’s midfield, Alonso risks clipping Bellingham’s wings

With Jude Bellingham, it’s all about solutions.

Popping up with legendary goal-saving tackles, appearing in the other penalty area with equally legendary goal contributions — he’s a regular Winston Wolf from “Pulp Fiction.” He solves problems.

But he also represents one. A sizable one. (And, no, not the shoulder injury that he is finally going to resolve with a minor operation as soon as this Club World Cup finishes.)

The very fact that Bellingham is an ultra-privileged footballer in terms of his voracious competitive spirit, his elite athletic capabilities and, above all, his old-school “run everywhere, do everything, be the ultimate box-to-box player” mindset makes him look to the untrained eye like the epitome of any schoolboy’s hero. That’s why the Madrid fans, from his very first game at the Santiago Bernabéu last season, have sung “Hey Jude” so often.

They love him. He’ll sweat right through the club badge, he’ll put his body on the line, pain is nothing to him, and, more often than not, those solutions will win the kind of points for Real Madrid that emphasize their famous credo of “Give everything right up until the last seconds.”

So what’s the problem, I hear you ask? The problem is that manager Xabi Alonso has inherited the same situation that drove his predecessor, Carlo Ancelotti, to distraction.

Both the previous Real Madrid coach and the current one were outstanding, UEFA Champions League-winning central midfielders when they still wore their playing boots. They don’t simply have the power to organize Madrid’s first-team playing structure in the way that they see fit, they have a privileged understanding of how the midfield engine room is supposed to work. They don’t just preach it, they did it.

Throughout last season in particular, once Toni Kroos retired, Ancelotti urgently wanted to use Bellingham as the guy who would anchor midfield, hold it together, command the structure, as well as adding some of his signature goal flourishes. The Italian wasn’t able to realize this vision because he failed to trust Bellingham on one single problem.

It’s the fact that because Jude can, Jude does. In other words, he has this massive appetite to do everything.

If the ball isn’t coming his way, he goes to find it. If he sees danger arising, he’ll run to the action, reactively, to put out the fires. When he sees a gap, or the chance to drag a rival out of position, off he goes, haring away in an action that, sometimes, will be a good percentage bet — but sometimes not.

Alonso not only inherits these tendencies of his star midfielder, he’s worried about them. Worried because what he wants to impose at all costs are balance, structure, solidity and an end to the way in which Real Madrid were easily dragged apart so that their lines had huge space between them and individual players had gaps between them — prime examples being the Barcelona matches last season and the Arsenal game in London.

Teams were often able to punish them based on the fact that Real Madrid, if they lost the ball, were positionally ragged.

Until Madrid are able to sign an absolutely outstanding pivot midfielder, one thing Alonso is determined to do is to teach Bellingham to be slightly more restricted in his movements — or at least more disciplined and strategic.

This is going to be a battle. A battle because, still only 21, Bellingham is world class in every single aspect of his play — except this one. It is going to cause him frustration, he is going to feel as if his wings are clipped, and, almost undoubtedly, there will be sparks between him and his new coach.

Alonso is a brilliant communicator, extremely bright, but he’s very determined and, when needs be, very pungent in what he demands and how he expresses himself. The plus side is that there was already evidence in Sunday’s victory over Mexican team Pachuca that the message is at least being registered by the brilliant Englishman.

After his excellent performance in a 10-man victory, having been down 1-0 and with Raúl Asencio sent off, Bellingham said: “The boss and I speak a lot every single day. Xabi is an absolutely top coach. He’s already shown us that he has loads of good ideas about how to play — how to defend and how to attack. All of that is going to be hugely important to this new era that he’s beginning.”

The words are good. They hint at synthesis of feeling and beliefs. They convey a faith that, in due course, progress will be made.

But nobody should be in any doubt that this is going to be a fundamental changing of attitudes for Bellingham. It will not be easy, and there will be bumps on the road between coach and star. Alonso has taken on Bellingham as something more than just a star member of his squad — he’s going to be a pet project.

The potential gains are gigantic.

If Real Madrid can add extra positional intelligence and discipline to a footballer who is already easily in the top 10 of world rankings when he’s fully fit and on form, the potential is almost limitless — certainly, Ballon d’Or category — but it is infamous that the leopard doesn’t easily change his spots.

Part of Bellingham’s beauty and brilliance is the very fact that when he sees an opportunity, he seizes it. For the rest of us, who aren’t charged with managing Madrid, it’s simply outstanding to witness.

But this coach is extremely determined.

“I want my team to perform like a collective, both in how they press and how we play the ball out,” Alonso said before the start of the tournament. “This will give us team stability and will allow us then for individual qualities to make the difference. I want my team to understand what we should be doing with, and without, the ball.

“Jude, in my team, is a midfielder. I want him to become as efficient as possible. He’s at a good age to learn and to work. The great thing for a coach is to have excellent footballers — everything else then becomes my problem.”

It’s all there. The message is clear. Alonso adores Bellingham’s qualities, but sees specific room for improvements. Improvements for which he has a tailor-made plan.

But there’s another small fly in the ointment. Thomas Tuchel, the England coach who also has to work out how to use Bellingham, wants his brilliant young star to play “as close to goal as possible.”

The German will use Bellingham either in behind the main striker or as a false No. 9 as often as possible. It’s a complete role change from what is now being demanded of Bellingham at the club level.

What an interesting test for the player. What an interesting development in his style we should be about to witness. But, again, it will not be easy.

The fact that Bellingham will be out of action temporarily while his shoulder heals gives him an opportunity to watch and learn — rather than learning by participating. Make no mistake about it, this is a young man who is extremely bright and extremely hungry to improve.

The fact that he will be observing the Alonso effect and then coming in to add to it should be a positive.

Underneath all of this, though, is that proverb about the leopard and his spots. Alonso is asking Bellingham to curb some of his most exciting, and central, natural tendencies.

Will the message get through, and, if so, how quickly? If it does, then these will be extremely exciting times for the coach, the player and Real Madrid.