by When Harry Kane signed for Bayern Munich in August, the expectation in Germany was that he would immediately become the best player in the Bundesliga, playing for the best team in the country.
The first part of that has undoubtedly been proven to be true. After 12 games in the German top flight, Kane has already scored 18 goals and registered five assists for his new team. No other player in the division even comes close to matching his output.
The second part didn’t work out, though. Kane is doing as expected, but not for the best team in the Bundesliga. Rather, that label belongs to Bayer Leverkusen, who have had the best start to a season of any team in league history.
Leverkusen came into this weekend two points ahead of Bayern and with 18 wins in 19 games in all competitions this season. They are now one of the most impressive sides in Europe, and have done so under the guidance of perhaps the continent’s most prolific coach: Xabi Alonso.
But, Alonso. For football romances, it’s a name that will stir the soul forever. One of the greats of our time, and a midfielder who won it all – multiple league titles, two Champions Leagues, two European Championships and a World Cup – with that wonderful combination of continental poise and ferocious wit. .
As a player, Alonso has always been a midfielder who used brain power first and physical power later. From the early days of his career therefore he was destined to become a coach and, for those who know him, it is no surprise that he is now excelling on the bottom line.
Few footballers have ever been better prepared, at least on paper, for the world of management. For one, Alonso’s father, Periko, was a professional player and coach. And then one considers some of the managers that Alonso played under: Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Rafael Benitez, Manuel Pellegrini, Vicente del Bosque.
“His father was an important manager, and he also had five or six of the best coaches in the world in his career,” said Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal manager and a close friend of Alonso. “That’s a huge ingredient. And then he has his own things, his own personality and experiences. It’s a really good combination.”
Arteta and Alonso played for the same club as kids in San Sebastian and there are plenty of similarities between their teams. Both men inspire a precise, possession-based style of play, with both men building the midfield around Granit Xhaka, who left Arsenal for Leverkusen this summer and is now flourishing in Germany.
There are differences between the two coaches, however, the most obvious of which is patience. Arteta’s first managerial job was at Arsenal, one of Europe’s biggest teams, and he took on the role in north London aged just 37. From a management perspective, it was the final drop in the deep end.
In contrast, Alonso was in less of a hurry. His coaching career began with Real Madrid’s youth teams, before spending three years there in charge of Real Sociedad’s reserves. “I’m in no rush to reach the highest level,” he said last year. “I’m taking things slowly, getting to know myself better.”
Alonso joined Leverkusen in October last year but it is their performances this season – with a fun 3-4-2-1 formation – that have really caught the eye. So much so that he is now being linked, almost weekly, with big clubs. Former clubs Real, Bayern and Liverpool are regularly touted as potential destinations for Alonso in the coming years.
His appeal to the biggest clubs in Europe is obvious: he is multilingual, progressive in his approach, well-dressed and well-grouped, recognized as one of the best players of his generation and, at 42, quite young for himself established as commander. manager of the coming years.
And let’s be honest – even without his work at Leverkusen, he would be an attractive option for most clubs simply because he is the great Xabi Alonso. Who wouldn’t be impressed with such a man strolling around the training pitches, spraying perfect passes to the wings? When he was filmed doing so at Leverkusen earlier this season, the video was viewed millions of times on social media.
Persistent technique and success as a player can only take you so far, of course, and Alonso still has a lot to prove in the dugout. But this is a man who has been learning and preparing for years, and a footballer who received perhaps the greatest education in coaching of any modern player. Alonso has always been seen as a certainty to make it in management, and now he is showing why.
