Xabi Alonso's line in the sand: Real Madrid boss 'to hold showdown talks with TWO superstars amid concerns over their work rate' following drubbing by PSG at Club World Cup - and board FULLY back new manager's tough stance
Real Madrid were blown away by the newly crowned European champions in the semi-final on Wednesday night, with Luis Enrique's side racing away with the contest.
A brace from Fabian Ruiz, either side of a goal from Ousmane Dembele, saw PSG race into a 3-0 lead after just 24 minutes at the MetLife Stadium.
Despite Real Madrid fielding their own star studded line-up featuring Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham, Alonso's side were unable to get back into the tie.
PSG rubbed further salt into Real Madrid wounds in the final minutes, with Goncalo Ramos coming off the bench to score the French side's fourth in stoppage time.
While PSG will now prepare for a final against Chelsea on Sunday, Alonso and Real Madrid are reportedly set to hold talks with key stars in the aftermath of the heavy defeat.
The new Real Madrid boss reportedly has concerns over the work rate of star players
The Madrid-based newspaper Marca reports that Alonso will speak particularly to Mbappe and Vinicius in the coming days amid concerns over their work rate off the ball.
The report claims Real Madrid's leadership have grown concerned over the lack of teamwork in the squad and are determined to end negative gestures towards team-mates, which have become a theme over the past season.
Vinicius Jr's situation is claimed to have become one of particular concern, with the Brazilian's performances having seen a marked decline from the Ballon d'Or contender he had been 12 months ago.
While Mbappe has been recovering from an illness which had prevented had prevented him from starting a match at the tournament until last night, the Frenchman's lack of work rate defensively remains of a concern to the club.
A perceived lack of teamwork had been among the criticisms identified by Alonso's predecessor Carlo Ancelotti prior to his departure at the end of the season.
Despite only being in charge for six matches, Alonso has reportedly identified similar issues and is said to be determined to resolve the issue.
The report claims Alonso will receive the support of Real Madrid's hierarchy as he attempts to tackle issues in the squad.
The concerns were highlight again by Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who had taken aim at his team-mates for their lack of unity after their Champions League quarter-final defeat to Arsenal back in March.
Thibaut Courtois took aim at his team-mates for not following Alonso's game plan
Courtois issued a similar criticism of his team-mates on Thursday night, after they were blown away by PSG in the United States.
'We want to apologise to the fans,' Courtois said.
'What was the problem? We didn't press as a team. There were two big mistakes at the start of the game and that affected us.
'We failed to follow Xabi's plan for the game.
'We need to take time and analyse it, but from what I saw, we were always arriving late to every situation.'
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