Xabi Alonso still has a lot of time to work with his players, improve them as well as train them with tactics and choose best tactics for Real Madrid squad. A season is long and Real Madrid don't need to be a perfect team at a season start to win La Liga. They surely must get good and acceptable results in early matches in order to not fall too far behind Barcelona in the league table rank, then they can buy time for improvements gradually.
Expectations may be different, as coaching a big team like Real Madrid requires constant preparation for any situation, as both management and fans demand more from a coach. If Xabi Alonso succeeds, he will be praised, but if he fails, he will face a lot of pressure and criticism. To gauge whether this team has improved, we will have to wait until La Liga starts, and therein lies the major challenge Xabi Alonso will face. We'll see how Xabi Alonso performs in his first season and see if he can deliver better results next season.