Xabi Alonso, the former legendary midfielder for Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich, has made a remarkable transition into coaching. After successful stints at Real Madrid’s academy and Real Sociedad’s B team, Alonso took on the challenge of managing Bayer Leverkusen in 2022. This article explores how Alonso’s tactical acumen and leadership have transformed Leverkusen from a struggling side to a genuine contender in the Bundesliga.
Implementing His Philosophy
Alonso’s coaching philosophy centers around possession-based play and pressing. He emphasizes the importance of dominating the ball and playing through the lines from back to front. Leverkusen’s shift to a 3-4-3 formation has allowed them to maximize the squad’s talents and create a more dynamic attacking style. The team focuses on positional discipline and building out from the back, with the center-backs playing a crucial role in the build-up.
They also focus heavily on playing through their centre forward, Victor Boniface who has immense ability to hold up the ball, this allows their fullbacks and attacking midfielders to create chances through overlapping and underlapping. He also plays two dynamic attacking full backs in Grimaldo and Frimpong who are great on the ball and creating chances through their runs and crossing.
Tactical Transformations
Under Alonso’s guidance, Leverkusen has seen significant improvements in possession stats and chances created. The team’s pressing has become more effective, leading to more turnovers in attacking areas. Alonso’s emphasis on zonal marking and cutting off passing lanes has also contributed to defensive stability. This has led them to the second best attack in the Bundesliga only behind Bayern with opportunity still grow defensive schemes.
Developing Individual Players
Alonso’s coaching has had a positive impact on individual players at Leverkusen. Florian Wirtz, a young talent, has shown improved creativity and contributed to more goals. Jeremie Frimpong, an attacking fullback, has excelled in Alonso’s system, providing pace and width on the right flank. Other young talents like Iago and Adam Hlozek have also flourished under Alonso’s guidance.
This season alone, Leverkusen have Grimaldo, Boniface, Frimpong, Hofmann, Wirtz and Adli all with 10+ Goals & Assists each, this shows that Alonso’s system has allowed his players to develop in the attacking aspect and when comparing this attack to Manchester United’s, who have a combined 2 goal contrbitutions all season, you start to realise the job that Alonso is doing.
Results On The Pitch For Bayer Leverkusen
Since Alonso’s appointment, Leverkusen has consistently earned more points than under previous managers. The team has climbed up the Bundesliga table, now competing for European places and potentially even the title. Leverkusen’s success under Alonso has also extended to the Europa League, with the team looking strong and ready to compete for the trophy.
This may be a big ask due to Bayern’s quality, but if the league is anything to show, there is potential for Bayern to drop off similar to last season under Tuchel.
In just 10 games this season, Alonso’s Leverkusen currently sit top of the Bundesliga with 28 points out of 30 with the only dropped points coming against Bayern Munich in a 2-2 draw. They are currently second for goals scored and top 5 for goals against. In all competitions this season, they have scored 54 goals and are becoming a force to be reckoned with.
Sustained Success Under Alonso
Alonso’s impact at Leverkusen extends beyond immediate results. The team continues to progress and refine their tactics under his leadership. With more time and resources, Leverkusen could potentially compete for trophies. Alonso’s success at Leverkusen has also put him on the radar for bigger managerial positions if his track record continues.
He is now the favourite to take over the Real Madrid job once Ancelotti leaves to manage Brazil, no doubt, results like this and a strong season will see his stocks skyrocket further and put him in prime position for the job.
In conclusion, Xabi Alonso’s coaching has had a transformative effect on Bayer Leverkusen. Through his tactical innovations, player development, and impressive results on the pitch, Alonso has turned Leverkusen into a formidable team in the Bundesliga. With his continued guidance, Leverkusen’s future looks bright as they aim to compete at the highest level of European football.
They must also be wary of the threat of Real Madrid and need to back the manager to win trophies, as he hs shown already in his short time that he is more than capable.
