Paris Saint-Germain delivered a masterclass in New York against Real Madrid during the Club World Cup semifinal, exposing that Xabi Alonso has significant work ahead after his team failed to score and conceded four goals.

This is the reality the Merengue side faced, and it doesn’t look any better when compared to the fight put up by other teams. A team with perhaps less prestige performed better against the Champions League champions, or at least that’s what the data suggests.

Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami put up a stronger fight than Real Madrid

Based solely on possession, Inter Miami from Major League Soccer (MLS) managed to hold 33.4%, surpassing Real Madrid’s 31.9%. While the difference may not seem vast, considering the stature of the clubs, it certainly highlights the shortcomings of Xabi Alonso’s team.

Furthermore, PSG restricted Real Madrid to creating no significant chances in front of the Parisian goal, whereas Lionel Messi alone created at least one big opportunity for Inter Miami.

These stats undoubtedly don’t paint the white team in a flattering light…

What Xabi Alonso said after the loss to PSG

Xabi Alonso, Real Madrid’s coach, admitted that the elimination against PSG in the Club World Cup semifinal was deeply painful but emphasized that they leave the tournament as a better team, and it will serve as a starting point for the upcoming season.

“From this match, we’ll take lessons for the future, and from this Club World Cup period, we’ll also draw positives, which I believe there have been. Regardless of today, we’re leaving as a better team, even though it’s hard to explain right now. But I’m convinced this will serve as a starting point to begin the next season stronger,” he explained in a press conference.

“We faced a very strong opponent. Just as others have suffered against them, we suffered today. They’re at a high level, and we, to be honest, are starting this new phase. There’s a lot of room for improvement, many things we want to do better. It hurts today. We need to be self-critical: our level wasn’t good enough. But this will also teach us things for the future,” he added.