Xabi to coach Real Madrid at Club World Cup

In an anticipated shift on Real Madrid's bench, press reports have revealed that Xabi Alonso, the former Real Madrid star and brilliant coach with Bayer Leverkusen, is poised to take over from Italian Carlo Ancelotti, starting with the Club World Cup scheduled for this June in the United States. According to Cadena Ser radio station on Wednesday morning, Real Madrid's board, headed by Florentino Perez, has reached a near-final agreement with Alonso, with him taking over immediately after the end of the season, while Argentine Santiago Solari will take over as interim coach during the tournament. The departure of Ancelotti, the club's most decorated coach, is only a matter of time and is expected to be announced after Sunday's highly anticipated El Clásico against Barcelona. The Italian coach has endured a difficult season, exiting the Champions League quarter-finals, losing the Copa del Rey final, and is struggling to maintain his La Liga hopes against leaders Barcelona. Xabi Alonso, who has caught the eye this season by leading Leverkusen to the top of the Bundesliga without a loss, is an ideal choice for a new era in Madrid, one marked by youth, ambition, and a purely Madridista flair. Will Alonso's experience succeed in restoring European prestige to the Bernabéu?