Athletic Bilbao Vs Real Madrid [0–3] – La Liga 2025/2026: How Xabi Alonso Tactics Exposed Ernesto Valverde High Line – Tactical Analysis

Real Madrid were looking to keep pace with Barcelona at the top of the La Liga table on Wednesday against Athletic Bilbao.

Xabi Alonso’s side were in desperate need of three points, considering their last three La Liga matches against Rayo Vallecano, Elche, and Girona all ended in draws.

Those draws allowed their rivals, Barcelona, to jump ahead by one point.

After Barcelona’s 3-1 win over Atlético Madrid, Los Blancos could not afford to fall even further behind in the title race.

It’s been an interesting season for Athletic Bilbao, who are sitting in eighth place in the table and have already lost six matches, which matches their entire total from last season.

Real Madrid lost 2-1 at the San Mamés Stadium last season, so they were out for some revenge on Wednesday, which they got in the form of a 3-0 away win.

In this post-match tactical analysis, we will take a look at Real Madrid’s build-up against Athletic Bilbao’s midfield and Bilbao’s use of wide overloads to try to create chances.

Athletic Bilbao Vs Real Madrid Lineups & Formations

Athletic Bilbao Lineup & Formation

For the first time this season, Ernesto Valverde lined Athletic Bilbao up in a 4-1-4-1 formation.

Unai Simón started in net behind Daniel Vivian and Aymeric Laporte as the centre-back pairing.

Adama Boiro started just his second La Liga match at left-back, while Iñigo Lekue lined up at right-back.

Alejandro Rego started as the lone defensive midfielder, with Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta and Mikel Jauregizar ahead of him in central midfield.

Nico Williams started at left midfield, while Álex Berenguer started in his usual spot at right mid.

Gorka Guruzeta started once again up top at striker.

Ernesto Valverde made five substitutions in the match.

In the 46th minute, Jesús Areso came on for Iñigo Lekue, and Unai Gómez came on for Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta.

In the 68th minute, Mikel Vesga came on for Mikel Jauregiza, and Nicolás Serrano came on for Álex Berenguer.

The final substitution came in the 78th minute when Selton Sánchez came on for Nico Williams.

Real Madrid Lineup & Formation

Xabi Alonso lined Real Madrid up in a 4-2-2-2 formation.

Thibaut Courtois occupied his usual spot in goal behind Eder Militão and Antonio Rüdiger as the centre-back pairing.

Álvaro Carreras started at left-back, while Trent Alexander-Arnold started at right-back.

Aurélien Tchouaméni and Eduardo Camavinga started alongside each other in defensive midfield.

Federico Valverde and Jude Bellingham lined up next to each other in more advanced midfield positions.

Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé started up top together as the two strikers.

Xabi Alonso made five substitutions in the match.

In the 55th minute, Raúl Asencio came on for Trent Alexander-Arnold.

In the 69th minute, Arda Güler came on for Eduardo Camavinga.

In the 78th minute, Alonso made a triple substitution, bringing Rodrygo on for Kylian Mbappe, Gonzalo García on for Eder Militão, and Brahim Díaz on for Vinicius Júnior.

Xabi Alonso Real Madrid Build-Up

Athletic Bilbao came out in a 4-1-4-1, giving Real Madrid a different look than the typical 4-4-2 that I am sure Xabi Alonso prepared for.

Bilbao was playing a very compact midblock with a high line, which is fairly standard for Ernesto Valverde’s side.