2023-11-22 16:05:53
With 10 wins and 11 draws under the leadership of the powerful emerging coach Xabi Alonso, Bayer Leverkusen could not have achieved a better start this season in the German football championship.
Alonso (41 years old) is a natural winner with England’s Liverpool, Spain’s Real Madrid, and Germany’s Bayern Munich. He was a key element in the midfield of the Spanish national team that won the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 European Cups.
After retiring from playing in 2017 and moving to coaching, he engineered the rise of Real Sociedad’s reserve team to the second division for the first time since the early sixties.
He moved to Leverkusen in October 2022 when the club was teetering in the relegation zone.
Alonso raised Bayer to sixth place and reached the semi-finals of the European League (dpa)
Despite the early fluctuations, as he won only once in seven matches, Alonso raised Bayer to sixth place at the end of the season and reached the semi-finals of the European League (Europa League).
With the wonderful start of the 2023-2024 season (16 wins and 17 draws in various competitions), Leverkusen fans began dreaming of the first Bundesliga title in its history.
Even far away from the football-mad industrial region of Rhine-Ruhr, the football community is beginning to sense the arrival of a top-class coach on the world stage.
In the Bundesliga, in which (Saturday) they beat 12th-placed Werder Bremen, Leverkusen scored 31 points out of a possible 33, equaling the record set by Bayern Munich under the leadership of the other Spaniard, Pep Guardiola, in the 2015-2016 season… At that time, Alonso was a midfield player. Bavarian team.
Alonso told Agence France-Presse and other media outlets that there is no magic formula behind his approach: “I talk, I work, I show up, I improve, I do group exercise, individual exercise. I don’t know the names of these techniques: it is a face-to-face conversation.”
Alonso said that he is aware of his team’s play and capabilities and that they can provide the best (Getty)
The coach added that he was aware of the “great potential” of his team when he assumed the task of supervising it. “With a little good work or a change of mood and confidence, we can provide the best.”
While Leverkusen’s style of passing intensity is reminiscent of the way Guardiola’s teams play, Alonso rejected similar comparisons: “It’s not tiki-taka… A lot of times, tiki-taka is a somewhat defensive possession. “I played in it, but we have other things.”
Alonso’s coaching philosophy may be clear, but he is not wedded to it.
It is clear that he realizes the importance of the players: “I am not strict about implementing a specific playing style. No, because you (the coach) are not the most important person. “The other guys (players) are more important than you.”
He continued: “I was encouraged to be innovative on the field and to make my own decisions.”
He added, “It is not about us being robots…they have the knowledge and quality to make good decisions.”
Video clips spread on social media of the former midfielder sending high-accuracy long-range passes during training.
The former center player smiles when asked if he is the best passer on his team and admits that he misses his past playing days: “I shouldn’t say this, but yes, I miss (playing).”
He added that the training “is not the same.” “Playing better, much better.”
Swiss Granit Xhaka, the former English midfielder and captain of Arsenal, who came to Leverkusen last summer, says that his coach has improved his playing style: “Alonso reveals a lot to me, a lot of small details on the field. “This is something special.”
Leverkusen, which was founded in 1904 through the pharmaceutical company Bayer, hopes to break the knot of runner-up position, having finished second in the German League five times and once in the Champions League in 2002.
But Alonso refused to limit the competition for the title between his team and Bayern Munich, which has won the league title 11 consecutive times: “The challenge is not limited to Bayern. The challenge is against our ability to achieve, how far we can reach, and whether we can reach this position.”
Bayer’s coach said that they must maintain their level to achieve more achievements (Getty)
He explained: “If we remain in this position in April, we will see, of course, but it is still early now. We have to maintain our stability.”
The last coach to put an end to Bayern’s dominance was Jurgen Klopp with Borussia Dortmund, who currently supervises Liverpool.
The former Liverpool player describes Klopp as “unbelievable,” considering that he returned the Red Team “to the elite of international clubs.”
He said: “I would have liked to play under the supervision of Jurgen Klopp. “His ability to deliver messages (clearly), and I’m sure things are better behind closed doors.”
Alonso, who describes himself as “completely Basque, but with a German influence,” supported Klopp to take over as coach of the currently injured Germany national team, one day. “When he finishes with Liverpool, I am sure he will get the opportunity if he wants it.”
Alonso’s success with Leverkusen did not go unnoticed, as reports began linking him to coaching Real Madrid, his former team.
He explained: “I don’t know when the moment will come. “I am 100 percent involved here now, and my mind is 100 percent here.”
He continued: “I am enjoying my time here, and I have several reasons to be positive about the future.”
Having been known for his ability to make decisions as a player, Alonso said that he would not be “under pressure” from others to make decisions: “I will make my own decisions when I feel the time is right.”
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