Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen record speaks for itself since the former Liverpool midfielder took charge of the German club.
The Bundesliga outfit are now 25 games unbeaten in all competitions this season. They sit top of the table, four points above second-placed Bayern Munich, though the Bavarians have a game in hand.
It’s a similar story in Europe, with Leverkusen through to the Europa League knockouts after a flawless group stage. They won all six matches in Group H, scoring 19 and conceding just three times.
There’s no doubting the positive impact that Alonso has made. He was appointed manager at the club in October 2022, and has a record of 39 wins, 13 draws and just ten losses from 62 matches in charge.
Leverkusen have won 22 from 25 in 2023/24, and haven’t lost since May. An eighth-minute red card for Amine Adli saw them go down 3-0 to VfL Bochum in the league. But since then, it’s been quite a remarkable run, that doesn’t look like stopping any time soon.
🔴⚫️ Bayer Leverkusen win 4-0 and it’s 25 games unbeaten!
🇳🇬 Boniface — 16 goals, 8 assists.
🇩🇪 Wirtz — 8 goals, 12 assists.
🇪🇸 Grimaldo — 9 goals, 7 assists.
🇳🇱 Frimpong — 7 goals, 10 assists.🏟️ 25 games
🟢 22 wins
🟰 3 draws
🔴 0 defeats⚽️ 81 goals scored
⛔️ 18 goals… pic.twitter.com/scsYhOULGa— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 20, 2023
The turnaround at Bayer Leverkusen has been nothing short of incredible under Alonso. He has taken a team struggling for survival in the Bundesliga and made them title challengers.
How far he can go with this team remains to be seen, but he will no doubt believe this is just the beginning.
Xabi Alonso’s Influence At Bayer Leverkusen
When Xabi Alonso took over at Leverkusen, the club had been second-bottom in the Bundesliga. Having never won a league title in Germany, Leverkusen are a constant presence in the upper-mid-table region, occasionally pushing for Europe but rarely doing much better. They have finished second five times in their history, but now look like genuine contenders.
And yet, despite being at one of their lowest ebbs in many years, Leverkusen still took a huge risk hiring Alonso. The Spaniard has managed Real Soceidad’s B team in his home country, but followed a fantastic promotion with relegation back to the third tier a year later.
With no top flight managerial experience to his name, bringing Alonso to the Bundesliga was a serious gamble. But despite his lack of experience off the field, Alonso’s playing credentials on it can never be disputed.
With two European Championships either side of a World Cup win in 2010, his international pedigree is undoubted. At club level, he won the Champions League at Liverpool before La Liga and Bundesliga titles with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
Such was his quality as a player that former club Bayern considered him before bringing in manager Julian Nagelsmann. With Leverkusen sat above Munich in the table, they may be wishing they opted for the Spaniard.
It remains to be seen if Alonso can continue such an unbelievable run, but he’s already earned plenty of plaudits. Should he be the man to lead Leverkusen to their first ever German title, he will write his name into the history books in his first season of top flight management.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
