Xabi faces first major test as packed schedule piles on pressure

On Sunday, Real Madrid formally announced Xabi Alonso's appointment. He will hold his first press conference as manager on Monday and immediately get down to work.

However, his early preparations will be hampered by the international calendar. Key players will be absent, leaving him with precious little time to implement his tactical ideas ahead of Madrid's Club World Cup opener – his first competitive test at the helm.

Madrid are due to begin their Club World Cup campaign on 18 June against Al Hilal. Yet with a FIFA international window immediately preceding the tournament, Alonso will only have those players not selected by their national teams at his disposal for much of the preparatory period.

Players involved in the Nations League – such as Huijsen, Asencio, Tchouameni and Mbappe, representing Spain and France – will be committed until at least 8 June, regardless of whether they progress to the final, due to the third-place play-off.

The situation for South American players is even more complex. Brazil, for example, face two World Cup qualifiers – now under Carlo Ancelotti's stewardship – against Ecuador on 6 June and Paraguay in the early hours of 10 June.

Madrid are set to travel to the United States on 14 June to begin their training camp for the competition. The South American players may even remain in the region and await the arrival of the rest of the squad.

And then there's the injury list. With Carvajal, Mendy, Militao, Camavinga and Alaba sidelined, it remains to be seen whether Rudiger will recover in time.

Fede Valverde and Brahim Diaz, both nursing recent knocks, will also hope the upcoming break allows them to regain fitness. It'a a race against time for Xabi, who faces the formidable challenge of imprinting his tactical vision on the new Real Madrid in a matter of days.