In an open letter published in “The Players Tribune”, Xabi Alonso speaks about his complicated beginnings at Leverkusen and the incredible season he has just experienced with a Bundesliga title and a victory in the German Cup.
“I’m sure after that result in Frankfurt a lot of people said, ‘Why did we hire this guy from Real Sociedad B?’ Bayer Leverkusen spoke in an open letter published in “The Players Tribune”, he looked back on the complicated beginnings he experienced in Germany but also on the incredible season which has just ended with a championship title in the Bundesliga and a title in the German Cup.
“Once the match started, all my ideas went down the drain”
Arriving in October 2022 to replace Gerardo Seoane, dismissed from his position after a catastrophic start to the season with Bayer, Xabi Alonso quickly took a slap after winning his first match with the red and black against Schalke 04 (4-0). ). “I think there is a moment when every young football manager stands on the touchline, completely helpless, and looks out at the stadium and asks himself the question: ‘What am I doing?’ How did I get here?” For me, this moment happened in my third match as coach, when Frankfurt crushed us 5-1.”
The defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt is still on Alonso’s mind. “Remember that? It feels like a long time ago. We were third from last and I don’t think anyone who watched that game would have predicted we would win a trophy anytime soon. We lost the previous game 3-0 at home against Porto and the team was really struggling to come together. But I thought there was a lot of talent before the Frankfurt game, so I honestly thought we couldn’t. that we can improve.”
A novice at the highest level having only managed the Real Madrid youth team and the Real Sociedad reserve before, the Spanish coach faced doubt. “As always, I worked hard to come up with a good game plan. But once the match started, all my ‘ideas’ went down the drain. All my research and notebooks full of tactics, every hour of videos I watched…”
“The score never lies. 5-1. Humiliating. I’m sure after that result in Frankfurt a lot of people said, ‘Why did we hire this guy from Real Sociedad B?'”
Despite his doubts, Xabi Alonso didn’t give up and everyone followed him. “Luckily for me, we had an amazing group of players and staff who pulled together and believed in me and our vision. But to be honest, that day when I walked into the tunnel, I had the same thought as all young managers: ‘What am I doing here?’ In fact, it’s in my blood…”
“We lost a game. I wish we could play it again”
Passionate about football from a very young age, the former Spanish international lived in the same neighborhood as a certain… Mikel Arteta, even more keen on football than him. “I was lucky enough to have a friend in our neighborhood who was also a football fan. His name was Mikel. Every day we went to the beach with our skateboards to play tennis, surf and, of course, playing football. This kid was perhaps even crazier about football than me. He was a little younger than me and my friends, maybe by a few months. But you know how we always push our little ones. friends” at that age? Well, we tried, but he was a competitive monster. He absolutely wanted to win, even if it was just a game on the beach. He had a love of a game that cannot be learned. We are born with it, I think.”
Both coaches now, Alonso and Arteta remain in contact. “It bonded us very closely. And it still does today. A few months ago I received a call from my old friend Mikel. As always, we talked about football…”
Satisfied with his very good 2023/2024 season with Bayer, Xabi Alonso still finds something to complain about. “My journey at Leverkusen, and my journey to becoming a football manager, is something I can only fully appreciate now that this incredible season has come to an end. Was it perfect? No, not perfect. We lost a game .I wish we could play it again. But it sure was magical.”
“Trust me. If you come back, we will have a great season”
Emerging from the cocoon of Real Sociedad, Xabi Alonso quickly understood the change in dimension by taking an interest in the squad of his new club. “To be completely honest, when Simon Rolfes called me a year and a half ago to ask if I wanted to come here, I had no idea about this word, ‘Neverkusen’. I was naive, in the good sense of the word. I had never been a manager in the first division. I had coached young players in the second team at Real Sociedad, in my hometown, completely away from the spotlight. I knew about Bayer Leverkusen because I had played there and I knew that they had a big stadium and that they always played in Europe.”
“I took one look at the team and I was like, ‘Wow, OK, there’s something interesting here.’ There’s something interesting here.”
After a first season finished in sixth place in the Bundesliga, the Spanish coach had to be convincing to keep his entire group. “At the end of the season, I asked many players who had received offers from other clubs to stay. I told them: ‘Trust me. If you come back, we will have a great season.’ Some were more convinced than others, because it was a risk, let’s be honest, but in the end, they all trusted me and the results are there.”
“We were convinced that we were going to make history”
The 2023/2024 season started perfectly for Xabi Alonso’s men who passed the Leipzig test by winning 3-2. The real turning point came during the return match against Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga (3-0 victory). “At halftime, when we were leading 1-0, I looked around the dressing room and realized that no one was interested in staying down and defending the 1-0 lead. 0. Everyone wanted to score more. There was no fear. If we didn’t have that collective mindset, who knows what would happen. If we stayed back and defended. ?Maybe a 1-1 draw, and the dynamic changes But that’s not the case. We stayed disciplined and attacked when we had the chance, and in the end we won 3-. 0.”
This victory allowed Bayer players to confirm the potential shown since the start of the season and to gain greater confidence than ever. “We passed the test. After that day, the word ‘Neverkusen’ no longer had any power.”
“We were convinced that we were going to make history. It wasn’t just about winning the title. It was about winning every game, as it came our way. The next one, the next one, the next one…”
Xabi Alonso concluded his open letter by thanking his entire club and is already planning for the future. “I’m happy that we never have to hear the word ‘Neverkusen’ again. Winning the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) in my first season as manager is incredible, and I don’t want to this for granted. For this, I really have to thank the club for trusting me with this project. But above all, I have to thank my players and the staff for all their work (And I hope you come back. all, because you know how much more we can achieve.) So… What’s next? The Champions League, I hope.
