European football’s sensational coach: Xabi Alonso, the architect of a historic Bayer Leverkusen

Lovers of Bayer Leverkusen I could not any more. The only thing they wanted was to get on the field to celebrate a title they had been waiting for for so long. The fifth goal, scored by Florian Wirtz, which sealed the victory against Werder Bremen this Sunday, already had a large contingent of supporters close to crossing the line, waiting for the outcome of the match to unleash ecstasy. So that was it.

The consecration served as a sort of exorcism, to put an end to the karma that haunted a traditional institution: a regular protagonist of German football but who won few trophies. He was jokingly named as “Neverkusen.” But that changed, with the first Bundesliga title in the history of a club founded by employees of the pharmaceutical company Bayer, that next July 1st will be 120 years old. Previously, Leverkusen’s best campaigns in the local tournament had been five second and six third places. But now it’s different.

An obvious step for the team, which has seen three Chileans join its ranks (Arturo Vidal, Junior Fernandes and Charles Aránguiz), is that ended the virtually automatic hegemony of Bayern Munich, who managed to build a run of 11 consecutive league titles, the longest streak among Europe’s top leagues. Since the 2008-2009 season, there has not been a new champion in the Bundesliga, when Wolfsburg created a surprise.

The architect of this historic achievement is Xabi Alonso, 42-year-old Basque coach, who has gradually established himself as the technical sensation on the Old Continent, builder of one of the most lyrical football teams in UEFA’s elite. The former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich footballer has put together a “signature team”, representative of what his role was on the pitch: a midfielder of great ability and with a good foot.

“We wanted to play games with a good mentality this season and the players quickly started to work well together. After the first games we saw that this team can play very good football,” Alonso said in the press conference after the match that won them the title. “But to achieve it in this way was a great achievement. Finally, it is an honor to say that Leverkusen are champions. “It’s totally deserved.” he added.

After a prolific career as a central midfielder, In 2017, he left the activity to take the coaching course and joined the Real Madrid under-14 team. where he spent a season. In July 2019, he returned to Real Sociedad, where he started as a player, to now take charge of the reserve team (Real Sociedad B). In October 2022, he was chosen to take over at Leverkusen, with a mission to improve the team’s performance, which he achieved in spades. In Germany, he won his first crown as a coach with a team with a defined style (attacking football and good ball handling), undefeated and changing the monopoly that German football had become.

“We didn’t talk much about the title in the locker room but it was in our head that this year we could be champions… Now we have to enjoy the moment. So far the season has been very intense and it’s not over yet,” added Xabi Alonso after Sunday’s victory. In a footballing and tactical conversation with The voice of the coaches the former player expressed what he preaches as a strategist: “A team that takes the initiative in the game, that wants the ball. “That players know how to connect with each other and that they have good automation.”

Bayer Leverkusen are undefeated so far this season. Add up the incredible number of 43 matches without losing, all competitions combined, with 38 wins and five draws. It established the best streak among Europe’s top five tournaments, surpassing the 42 achieved by Juventus in the 2011-2012 season. Xabi Alonso’s remarkable campaign has had his name circulating among the big clubs, They are looking for a coach for next season. More precisely, these are the cases of Liverpool and Bayern Munich because Jürgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel will not continue respectively.

However, The Spaniard ruled out any interest and announced that I will stay at the aspirin club . Due to his past in England, his card was certain to replace Klopp at the Reds.

To make this season even more extraordinary, Pharmaceutical casting can add two additional titles. With the Bundesliga already in their pocket, Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen has the German Cup Final against Kaiserslautern on May 25, and has one foot in the Europa League semi-finals, after beating West Ham United 2-0 in the first leg of the quarter-final.