From the coach who gave Gareth Bale his debut to Pep Guardiola, José Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti: how Xabi Alonso has prepared for the Liverpool opportunity
José Mourinho has long been something of a fortune teller, and it turns out he was absolutely right about Xabi Alonso.
In 2019, the former treble-winning coach of Inter Milan was asked which of his players would be the best coach, and he chose his number 14 in real Madrid.
“Like me, his father was a player,” Mourinho explained. “He grew up with a father who was a player, then a coach, and then became a player, of course much better than me.
“His knowledge of the game was very high and then he played in Spain, England and Germany and was coached by (Pep) Guardiola at Bayern, by me at Real Madrid, by (Carlo) Ancelotti at Real Madrid and by (Rafa) Benitez in Liverpool.
“So, if you put all that together, I would say that Xabi has the conditions to be a very good coach.”
It turned out that “very good coach” was not a euphemism by any means, with Alonso guiding Bayer Leverkusen to the top of the Bundesliga in his first full season in senior management.
Taken from Real Sociedad's B team in November 2022, Alonso coached Leverkusen from a relegation battle to Europe, and now has them five points clear at the top of the league after a job of destruction of rivals for the title Bayern Munich.
With an astonishing record of 31 games, 27 wins, zero losses and 93 goals this season, it is no wonder that both Liverpool and Bayern Munich are chasing their former star.
But should we be so surprised by its success? Well, maybe not.
Alonso, who retired in 2017 with an iconic farewell, said he played for his “childhood team, the best team in England, the best team in Spain and the best team in Germany.”
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With just those four teams on his resume, plus a brief loan at Eibar, Alonso could have limited his pool of coaches to learn from, but due to the size of the clubs, it was quite the opposite.
Making his way in his Basque homeland, it was John Toshack who gave Alonso his first experience as an elite coach.
The Welshman, who as a player was an unstoppable forward, won LaLiga with Real Madrid as coach, and then prepared the team for glory by giving his future star winger, Gareth Balehis debut for Wales.
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Toshack would probably have spoken well of Liverpool, where he was a club legend, and that was where Alonso went next in 2004, starting the Rafa Benitez revolution and winning both the Champions League and FA Cup.
“I have learned a lot from all my coaches and I have transformed it into my own personality as a beginning coach,” Alonso explained. “Rafa is football, tactics: how to fit in, how to help, what to do.” .”
During his time at Anfield, the now 42-year-old won the first of three international trophies with Spain, and has also been key in highlighting his coaches from that time.
“I would like to highlight Luis (Aragonés) for his conviction and his ability to define what you wanted,” he stated. “(Vicente) Del Bosque taught me to only worry about the things you have to worry about.”
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After moving to Real Madrid as Galáctico in 2009, Alonso won his second Champions League title in 2014 with carlo anceloti who, “stood out when it came to transmitting what good football is and what we had to do.”
But before that, he was one of the most impactful managers of his career, Jose Mourinho.
“José is one of the best coaches I have ever had,” Alonso explained. “He marked me with his reading of the games and his ability to react when the occasion demands it.
“Mourinho fights for the people close to him and defends them. He is demanding of others because he also demands of himself. The coach has very, very strong values.
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“When he arrived he was a very important coach. We were left with the regret of not being able to win the Champions League with him, but we reached three semi-finals.
“Of Mourinho I highlight the strength and intelligence he has to communicate.”
After that, it was pep guardiola At Bayern Munich, “Pep tells you: 'Let's play like this and this will happen.' He is very good at it,” Alonso said.
One of 14 players to work under both icons, Guardiola and Mourinho, Alonso was one of the few to operate extensively under both in their primes.
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Comparing the rivals, it is clear that they have impacted Alonso like no one else.
“They share many things but above all they are leaders,” he said. “They share that charisma, that special thing that every time they enter the room everyone knows that the boss is there and they have to listen to him.
“They have different personalities and different approaches to the game, but in terms of their ambitions, how they go into the details and how they respect the opponent, they spend a lot of time analyzing it.
“They know that nowadays you have to adapt the team to have an advantage over the rival, they dedicate a lot of time and are very hardworking. To be demanding with your players you first have to be demanding with yourself and they are.
“For me, what's special is how they can convey the message they want to the players and how they can connect with you and exchange that idea that they have.”
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It's clear that Alonso has something special, with Leverkusen evolving from relegation fighters to contenders not just in terms of tactics.
Only a handful of additions were made in the summer to achieve a completely unexpected title, but when you look at the history of the man in the dugout, it is much less surprising.
By summarizing everything he learned from the best in the business during an iconic career, Alonso rebuilt the mentality that made his players fall in love with him.
“You can bring out the best in everyone, but you need to build your own personality, your own style,” he said.
“It's not copy and paste, it's about being authentic and being yourself, that's the best way to convey your ideas to the players.”
