Xabi Alonso – GAME OF THE PEOPLE

WHO WOULD have thought Bayern Munich’s reign at the top of German football would be ended in 2024 and by a club that had never won the Bundesliga before? Bayer Leverkusen’s triumph is fully deserved and, appropriately, it was clinched with a 5-0 victory against Werder Bremen. The celebrations could continue for some time because Leverkusen have a DFB Pokal final to look forward to and they have one foot in the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League. Nobody has beaten them this season and it is difficult to see who might lower their colours for the first time.

Much of the credit has been given to coach Xabi Alonso, who has transformed Leverkusen since he arrived in October 2022. Alonso’s style has won him many admirers and it would seem inevitable he will depart Leverkusen in the near future and join one of the blue riband clubs in Europe. Leverkusen were one place off the bottom of the Bundesliga when he arrived. They ended 2022-23 in sixth place but they were not expected to win the league this year, the favourites were Bayern and Borussia Dortmund. In 18 months, he has moulded them into Bundesliga champions. In an age of uber clubs, Alonso’s achievement is considerable and remarkable.

Alonso’s side have averaged over 60% possession this season and they have shown they are capable of swift counter-attacks that punish the opposition. They have also conceded just 19 goals in 29 games. Naturally, major clubs like Liverpool and FC Bayern have been eyeing Alonso as a possible replacement for outgoing coaches. He has told Leverkusen that he intends to stay, but it could be he simply wants to lead his team into the Champions League. After that, who knows?

Leverkusen’s success has also been built around smart recruitment. The signings made in the summer of 2023 have proved to be a revelation. Alejandro Grimaldo was signed from Benfica on a free and has been outstanding, so much so Arsenal and Liverpool are reputed to be interested in signing the 28 year-old. Granit Xhaka was acquired from Arsenal for € 15 million and has been a key element in the team and one of the top distributors of the ball in the top five leagues. Victor Boniface cost Leverkusen € 20 million from Union Saint-Gilloise and but for injuries would have scored far more than he has. Jonas Hofmann was picked from Borussia Mönchengladbach for € 10 million and has one of the best finishing rates among midfield players. All have assimilated well and pivotal in the team’s success this season.

Leverkusen also have one of the most coveted young players in Europe in their side. Florian Wirtz is just 20 and scored a hat-trick in the title-decider against Werder Bremen in 23 minutes. He has been ranked among the best attacking midfielders in the top leagues and the most productive creator of goalscoring opportunities. Wirtz is a very impressive performer and it may now be a question of time before he is lured away from the club, especially if he has a good EURO 2024. He is currently valued at € 110 million and his current contract runs to 2027.

There has been no letting up for Leverkusen this season. They have not had a bad patch and although they have shown great powers of recovery at times to earn valuable points from losing positions, they have won 25 of their 29 Bundesliga games. They went through their Europa League group with a 100% record, while in the DFB Pokal, they have had a relatively easy run, beating second tier Fortune Düsseldorf in the semi-finals by 4-0. They won their Europa quarter-final first leg against West Ham 2-0 and travel to London for the second leg on April 18.

They don’t have a massive squad, but it is multi-cultural (81% non-German) with 16 different nationalities represented and an average age of just under 25 years. Transfermarkt values the squad at € 595 million, some € 330 million less than Bayern’s overall valuation.

Bayer Leverkusen’s rise to the top is certainly good for German football and the Bundesliga. Monopolies are never beneficial for a league and almost always suggest a lack of strength in depth. It may not be sustainable because Bayern will be smarting and will launch intense enquiries about their fall from the winners’ podium. They will surely throw money at getting the best players. This will undoubtedly put Leverkusen under pressure because one thing Bayern have been good at is snapping-up the best players from their main competitors (ask Dortmund). And right across Europe, when a good team emerges from outside the elite, they quickly become vulnerable to predators at home and abroad. Continued success helps prevent that, but can Leverkusen maintain their momentum in 2024-25?

FOOTBALL has a habit of looking for the simple fix, but the trouble is, those supposed simple solutions invariably turn out to be hasty or bad decisions. Liverpool are reeling at the moment, the messianic figure of Jürgen Klopp has decided to leave at the end of the season. The outpouring of grief seems dramatic, but Klopp’s impact has been nothing short of sensational. He is [mostly] likeable, charismatic and certainly a showman, but Klopp is also a smart figure. Only an intelligent man would decide to call it a day when his team are in better shape than they were a year ago. Too many go on for too long, ignoring the signs and warnings.

But those simple solutions? Everyone is looking at Xabi Alonso as Klopp’s replacement. It is a curious habit to always look for someone with a connection to the club. He’s an ex-Liverpool player – an excellent one at that – and he supposedly “knows the club”. Alonso certainly knew the club between 2004 and 2009. The Liverpool of that period is very different from the club of today, although the heritage has been a constant. Alonso would be working in “the now”, in other words, club history will not help you if the team underperforms. Liverpool have been down this road before, although it never got to the stage where they had to act on their instincts.

Steven Gerrard was supposed to be the heir to the throne, until it was clear he was not going to become a great manager. It is, almost certainly, too early for Alonso to be judged. Even if he wins the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen, he needs to evaluated over a two or three year period. Jump too early and he risks being discarded from the top bracket. Liverpool, having spent years in the wilderness, cannot afford to be hasty or ill-prepared. They need proven quality and a coach who is, “oven ready”. Alonso may well fit the bill in another year, but any potential employer has to ensure that a single season in the spotlight is not a fluke. Similarly, they need to see how he performs when things are not going so well.

Appointing from the alumni can be a big mistake. Committed or successful players don’t necessarily make good managers. Comments like “he’s a winner” are ridiculous because most footballers are not winners. They want to win, but don’t we all? Lots of clubs have found, to their cost, that so-called “legends” don’t always become decent managers. Manchester United learned that lesson long ago at the end of the Busby era and clubs like Chelsea, Spurs and West Ham have also discovered that folk heroes can damage their har-earned reputation by moving into management. There have been big successes, too, such as Kenny Dalglish at Liverpool in the 1980s, and for a while, Kevin Keegan at Newcastle United.

Alternatively, they could go for a proven coach with a track record of winning major prizes. One-club men don’t always bring to the role the broad perspective that a much-travelled career can give a coach. Knowing one club has its advantages, but having knowledge of all clubs, gained from a rich, cosmopolitan career provides something else. This applies to all levels of the game.

But football being football, decisions are often taken that appear correct to those making them but seem so obviously questionable to the neutral onlooker. Wayne Rooney at Birmingham City is a case in point. Often they seem wrapped up in romance, a case of the heart wanting something rather than the head. Alonso will, undoubtedly, be appointed Liverpool manager and countless other clubs will opt for the easy option over the course of the next year rather than adopt a more progressive approach.