Trent Alexander-Arnold has walked into Real Madrid's pre-season at Valdebebas and come away talking about intensity, not comfort. Trent Alexander-Arnold says the sessions have included a lot of double sessions, and that he needs to get back in shape as the squad works through the opening phase of pre-season with a reduced group before the rest of the World Cup players return.
He has also been clear about the coach's influence. "He's intense. The principles and the level of expectation are very high," Alexander-Arnold said, while another quote from the same interview summed up the mood around the new regime neatly: "I'm sure he will teach us many things and help us win trophies this year." That is the level of ambition hanging over the first weeks of work in Madrid.
Mourinho's standards at Valdebebas
Alexander-Arnold's other comments point in the same direction. "I've always admired him as a coach, I've played against him a couple of times, and so far it's a pleasure to work with him and his team," he said, and the message is simple enough: this is a pre-season built around structure, expectations and repetition. Mourinho is already setting the pace, and Alexander-Arnold is buying into it.
The wider picture is a club that still has standards to reassert. Real Madrid finished second in La Liga in 2025 with 86 points, eight behind Barcelona's 94, and they were ninth in the Champions League league phase with 15 points from 8 matches. Last season did not fall apart, but it did leave room for a more forceful reset, which is exactly what Mourinho's opening weeks are trying to provide.
A clearer route for Alexander-Arnold
There is also a practical side to this for the defender. Dani Carvajal is no longer competing for the right-back position, which gives Alexander-Arnold a valuable opportunity to establish himself early while the full squad is still filtering back into training. The coach's arrival has made that route clearer, and pre-season is the place to take advantage of it.
Alexander-Arnold says pre-season is about understanding the fundamentals and how the coach wants the team to play. He is back in action after being out for a long time, and the immediate task is to regain rhythm before the season starts properly. The sessions at Valdebebas already sound punishing, and for now the story is less about the result of any one drill than the standard Mourinho is demanding every day.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →
