Xabi Alonso needs to balance Real Madrid scoring machine’s minutes or repercussions are inevitable

For all the admiration surrounding Xabi Alonso’s early months in charge of Real Madrid , one thing has become increasingly apparent that the manager is unafraid of making bold decisions.

His willingness to leave Vinicius Jr. on the bench several times this season shows that no player, at least in theory, is untouchable.

Yet when it comes to Kylian Mbappe, the scenario shifts dramatically.

The Frenchman appears to enjoy a level of continuity that no other outfield player comes close to matching.

When you sift through the numbers, the pattern becomes even clearer. Mbappe has been a fixture in the starting XI, almost to the point of exhaustion.

As such, two explanations usually come up. First, he is Madrid’s most natural goal threat, and Alonso clearly views him as the centrepiece of the project.

But the last two matches have offered a worrying reality check. Against Liverpool and Rayo Vallecano, Mbappe went without registering a single shot on target.

Despite this visible drop in sharpness, Alonso seems reluctant to give him a break.

Mbappe has started all 16 matches this season and completed 10 of them. In fact, he has not been taken off before the 80-minute mark even once.

Kylian Mbappe has started all matches under Xabi Alonso. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Only Thibaut Courtois, with his perfect run of 1,440 minutes, has played more.

Mbappe’s tally of 1,398 minutes places him more than 50 minutes ahead of the next busiest outfield player, Alvaro Carreras.

Before this recent dry spell, Mbappe had been extraordinarily consistent, scoring in 12 of his first 14 matches.

But the physical and mental strain has now caught up with him. On top of fatigue, he is managing ankle discomfort that is visibly limiting his explosiveness.

Even so, the only time he gets any rest is with France, where he has featured in just two of their last four fixtures.

If Mbappe keeps pushing through every minute, the risk of a deeper slump, or something more severe, will only grow and for the first time, the unstoppable force will begin to look human.