His illustrious playing past and experience learning from the masters have contributed to creating a brilliant coach Xabi Alonso, standing before the opportunity to win the treble with Leverkusen.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Xabi Alonso is the most sought-after young coach in the world at the moment. At 42 years old and only in his first full season leading Leverkusen, Alonso is on the verge of winning the treble of Bundesliga, German Cup and Europa League.
What’s more remarkable is that when Alonso took over Leverkusen in October 2022, the team was on the brink of relegation. But the Spaniard has revived a dispirited team, and upgraded them, turning them into the team with the best record in Europe at the moment with 42 consecutive unbeaten matches. This success is somewhat surprising, but reasonable when looking back at the entire path that shaped Alonso today.
Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso before the away match at Augsburg in the Bundesliga on January 13, 2024. Photo: AP
Students of great masters
Xabi Alonso’s career as a player and coach began at Real Sociedad – the Basque club where his father played and won La Liga twice. His older brother Mikel also played over 100 games for Sociedad. Despite being only one year older, Mikel’s career never came close to his younger brother’s, as he was loaned out to Numancia and Tenerife before ending his career at Real Union.
Meanwhile, Alonso's intelligent playing style, versatile passing ability and outstanding tactical thinking have helped him have a brilliant career at Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. In an interview with the Guardian earlier this year, Alonso described himself as "a Basque with a strong German influence".
Alonso listens to instructions from coach Rafa Benitez when they both served Liverpool in the Premier League. Photo: AFP
Throughout his career, Alonso has worked with many great coaches, but the two who have had the biggest influence on him have been Spaniards. Both Rafael Benitez at Liverpool and Pep Guardiola at Bayern saw the qualities of a coach in Alonso when he was still playing.
Benitez told the Times : "Xabi was always very intelligent and analytical. When you explain tactics to players, you often have to repeat them. But with Alonso, once is enough. He always learns very quickly." Under Benitez, Alonso won the 2005 Champions League, where he scored a goal in the final, helping Liverpool come from behind to draw 3-3 before defeating AC Milan on penalties.
Guardiola also shared the same view. He said: "Alonso always understands the game well and has a desire to learn. From midweek, he knows what the team needs to do to win the next matches." In addition, Alonso also learned how to win people's hearts from his teacher Carlo Ancelotti - the coach he worked under twice during his time at Real Madrid and Bayern.
In the 2013-14 season when Real Madrid won the Champions League, Ancelotti showed how to harmonize a group of superstars, especially with the appearance of the most expensive rookie in the world at that time, Gareth Bale. The appearance of Bale was once considered a challenge for the biggest star Cristiano Ronaldo, but in reality, they were in harmony and contributed greatly to bringing Real to the Champions League and Copa del Rey titles that season.
Alonso with coach Ancelotti during his time at Bayern Munich. Photo: AFP
Alonso admitted that he learned a lot from the Italian coach: "In terms of people management, Ancelotti is a master. Whether it's about convincing players or making them have a good relationship with you, Ancelotti is the best."
Aiming for the treble
What Alonso learned from his playing days under his mentors has been evident this season, both tactically and in terms of man-management. Leverkusen have been influenced by Guardiola in terms of their style of play, with them being the Bundesliga's most pass-heavy team since the start of the season. However, the passes are deliberate, with Leverkusen taking the initiative in building up play and accelerating from midfield. The full-backs play high, wide and contribute a lot to transitions, particularly on the counter-attack.
Alonso is not rigid in his tactics, having surprisingly dropped defender Jeremie Frimpong, midfielder Jonas Hofmann and striker Patrik Schick against Bayern in February to provide more balance but still maintain pace in attack. These changes surprised Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern – a much more experienced coach than Alonso – as Leverkusen won 3-0 and Bayern only had one shot on target despite having more possession.
After the match that confirmed our position as a title contender, Alonso said: "We controlled the game well, knew when to put pressure, knew when to wait, knew who to have the ball or not. The defense played great, and it was an excellent performance in all aspects."
Frimpong celebrates with Alonso after a Bundesliga win. Photo: AFP
The player who raised the score to 3-0 was Frimpong - the main defender who was brought in from the bench. The fact that this star obediently accepted Alonso's decision showed the absolute trust and respect of the players for the Spanish coach. Frimpong told TNT Sports : "All the players believe in the strategy that the coach has chosen. You can see on the pitch how comfortable we are and how we play as a team. The coaches he has worked with like Ancelotti or Guardiola have brought experience. When you have that, of course you will be a good coach. Xabi is not only a coach but also a great man."
Leverkusen have not won a trophy since the 1993 season. However, they now have their hands on the Bundesliga silverware for the first time in their history, have reached the German Cup final and have just beaten West Ham 2-0 in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals.
22 years ago, Leverkusen under coach Chritoph Daum and the star cast of Ballack, Lucio, Dimitar Berbatov, Bernd Schneider, Diego Placente, Ulf Kirsten... stood on the threshold of heaven with the treble but failed on all three fronts, leading to the nickname "Neverkusen".
Now, Alonso and his players are on their way to erasing that unwanted nickname. He assessed the team's chances: "The initial task is not to think too much or overestimate ourselves. We want to create a solid team from the beginning of the season, and starting from the pre-season, we have made many right decisions. The team has integrated very well and can create a spirit, a style of play that is not only attractive but also competitive. It is still too early to talk about the treble, so don't put too much pressure on yourself."
Coach Xabi Alonso (second from right) and Leverkusen players thank the audience after the 3-2 win over Freiburg in round 26 of the Bundesliga on March 17. Photo: Reuters
Alonso may be just one piece of Leverkusen's miracle story, but there is no denying that he is the most important piece.
Joey Thinh
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