Xabi Alonso names Carlo Ancelotti as his role model in football management

Published at :April 4, 2024 at 4:16 PM

Modified at :April 4, 2024 at 4:16 PM

(Courtesy : Bayer Leverkusen/X)

The Spaniard is on the verge of his first silverware as a manager

Xabi Alonso was named Bayer Leverkusen’s new head coach on October 5, 2022, and he would hold the position until June 20, 2024. With the squad in second place after eight Bundesliga games—their worst start to a season since 1979—he took over for Gerardo Seoane.

Three days later, he made his debut against Schalke 04, winning 4-0 at home. Alonso had a rough start to the season, but Bayer Leverkusen finally turned things around, as he helped the team reach their first European semifinal in twenty-one years.

Leverkusen set an old mark for the most matches sans a loss by a German team in all competitions when they won their first 33 league matches.

In the midst of intense interest from them, Xabi Alonso said on March 29, 2024, that he would remain with the team until the end of the 2024–2025 season, reaffirming his commitment to them. Bayer Leverkusen defeated Hoffenheim 2-1 on that day to move 13 points clear of the 33-time winners and 11-time straight Bundesliga victors. Munich Bayern

Questions and Answers with Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso

It’s an explosion of happiness for me, and so far we have achieved good things at the club. In the game, I like balance and the way we control games, and it’s always in the back of my head to not overcomplicate the game and more like a control game. And at the moment, we are doing well.

We are aware that expectations have been created, and we want to be part of that creation. We want to be part of what we can do, so let’s see how much we deserve to end that chance. But a lot of things can happen, so we are going to pressure ourselves to do better.

Can you tell us about your father?

My father, who used to prepare all tactics when I was a kid, of course, had to understand that, and those experiences have helped me a lot.

Who is your coaching role model?

In terms of management, Carlo Ancelotti was the master. He was a great man and helped me as a coach and friend, and I had the privilege to play under him at Bayern Munich and Real Madrid and win some trophies.

Why did you choose Leverkusen?

There was a lot of potential, but we were not given the expectations that we needed to reach Europe. The aim was to get back, so I knew that with the potential the team has, we could go for trophies, changing the mood of the team and the confidence of the players. We could do better.

What’s your philosophy?

We have a clear view of how we want to play, and let’s see what happens and try to make this happen. With the players we have and with the daily work and so many games, we are getting closer to that approach to the games, but it is not easy because there is so much intensity and many teams have aggressive defence. And in defence, there are no passives; it is stressful many times.

What is your future plan?

I don’t know what is going to happen, and when it does, my feelings are clear: I will stay here. And my mind is 100% clear, so I don’t know when that will happen. We have many reasons to possibly decide the future.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Telegram.