This season is proving to be a valuable learning experience for Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso, illustrating that it was for the better of him and Liverpool that he did not move to Anfield last year.
The Basque tactician was football’s most sought-after coach at this time last year. Alonso led an unexpected success in his first full season in charge of Bayer Leverkusen, which eventually went down in the history books.
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Not only did Alonso lead “Neverkusen” to their first-ever Bundesliga title, but he also took a domestic double and did it in style, going undefeated throughout the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal season.
His exploits with Leverkusen attracted the attention of Liverpool, Bayern Munich (and to some extent Real Madrid who were unsure of Carslo Ancelotti), who were desperate to bring the 43-year-old in. However, he chose to stay with Die Werkself, and it was probably a wise decision.
It has been a steep learning curve for Alonso this season as things are no longer going so smoothly for the inexperienced manager. Leverkusen’s ‘title defence’ can hardly be described as such after Bayern have stormed away at the top of the Bundesliga.
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Because of the expectations that come with being champions, Leverkusen have often played with the weight of the world on their shoulders. The freedom, playfulness and confidence of last season have almost disappeared.
Leverkusen have dropped points to relegation-contenders Kiel and Bochum this season, while they were recently beaten by a Werder Bremen side that had been in genuinely cruel form.
Leverkusen are comfortably second in the Bundesliga and are in the DFB-Pokal semi-finals, so this season is far from a tragedy, but it has been a lot tougher.
Alonso’s relative lack of experience as a coach has also been exposed at times. Leverkusen completely outplayed Bayern in a Bundesliga clash in February with a strikerless formation, so the former midfielder went with the same system when these two teams faced off in the Champions League a month later.
However, Alonso apparently failed to consider that his counterpart Vincent Kompany could have learned from the earlier meeting. Well, he did. Bayern comfortably dumped Leverkusen out of the Champions League, winning 5-0 over two games.
In fact, it’s noticeable that when Leverkusen fail to gain control of a game, they tend to get silly. Atalanta ended their historic unbeaten run with an emphatic 3-0 victory in the Europa League final last season. Liverpool played them outside the park (4-0) at Anfield in the Champions League earlier this season, and we have already mentioned the Bayern game.
Alonso gains experience through adversity
Some of Alonso’s personnel decisions have also attracted criticism. His decision to play without a striker against Bayern in Europe was reminiscent of Pep Guardiola’s infamous trickery. Alonso trained himself in front of the opposition.
Alonso left in-form striker Patrik Schick on the bench in the first leg against Bayern, causing surprise and consternation. His relationship with the Czech striker has been described as professional but very tense.
Schick has scored a whopping 23 goals this season despite often being benched by Alonso, who prefers Victor Boniface. However, the Nigerian has struggled with injuries and has also made negative headlines with his antics on and off the pitch.
Leverkusen are thus in the strange position of probably being without a striker in the summer. They are actively looking to sell Boniface, and Schick wants a change of scenery due to being tired of constantly being in and out of the site.
Leverkusen’s recruitment this season has not been nearly as effective as the previous period. Despite the fact that the contingent of Spanish speakers is constantly growing, the site looks more disjointed than before. Aleix Garcia has been the only arrival that can be classified as a resounding success.
Taking all of the above into consideration, it is clear that Alonso actually made the right decision by rejecting Liverpool and Bayern. This season will have given him valuable experience and made him better at his job. After all, this is still only his second full season as a senior manager.
In the case of Liverpool and Bayern, his decision has worked out quite well for them as well, with both on course to win their respective domestic league titles under Arne Slot and the aforementioned Kompany.
