Xabi Alonso from successful player to coach

Xabi Alonso is a retired Spanish professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders of his generation. Alonso had a successful career playing for clubs such as Real Sociedad, Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich.

He also represented the Spanish national team and was part of the squad that won the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 European Championships.

After retiring as a player, Alonso transitioned into coaching and has managed the Real Sociedad B team, head coach of Borussia Mönchengladbach and is the current coach of Bayer Leverkusen in Bundesliga, where he took charge in October 2022.

Xabi Alonso from successful player to coach

Basque-born, Alonso started the two his playing and instructing profession with his nearby La Liga club, Real Sociedad. At the point when Rafael Benítez took over as Liverpool administrator in 2004, he burned through no time in marking Alonso the player. Mature past his years, as a youthful midfielder he set it all up in the Premier League at 22 years old. A goal in the at last successful 2005 Champions League last covered a surprising first season with Liverpool.

Following five years, 210 games and a FA Cup win in the English match, he moved to Real Madrid, where he won another Champions League and the Spanish title. Three Bundesliga trophies followed with Bayern Munich, also a World Cup and two European Titles with Spain.

After his retirement in 2017, Alonso finished the UEFA Tip top coach course along side Xavi, and got back to Real Madrid to coach their Under-14s. In 2019, he returned to one more of his past clubs, becoming head of Real Sociedad B, in Spain’s third level.

In October 2022 he took over Bayer Leverkusen, who around then were second from base after eight Bundesliga games. Toward the finish of the time, Alonso’s Leverkusen had completed 6th — fitting the bill for the Europa League — and arrived at the semi finals of that same competition. By the colder time of year break of the 2023/24 season, Leverkusen were top, the only one of 96 clubs in Europe’s top five leagues to stay unbeaten. As a matter of fact, they had not lost in any of their 25 competitive fixtures to that point (22 win, three draws), setting a new German record.

Below, our UEFA-authorized coaches have dissected Xabi Alonso’s coach career, featuring a few vital parts of the strategic approachess Alonso has taken during his administrative profession with Leverkusen and Real Sociedad B…
Central transitions.

At Real Sociedad B, Alonso at first used 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 shapes. His side succeeded at proficiently advancing to goal, particularly through the central spaces.