What features do the three league-leading squads in the Bundesliga, Premier League, and La Liga share? Alonso Xabi! Alonso is on his way to becoming a respected colleague of both Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti, which is in addition to being a fantastic student.starting early to teach a certain perspective

But for those who pay close attention to this man, born in 1981, sooner or later Alonso will become well-known as a coach. Early in his life, Alonso began to exhibit the traits of a leader. Everything began with Antiguoko. Alonso, Mikel Arteta, Aritz Aduriz, and Andoni Iraola all began their careers with this amateur football team in the Basque Country. The foundational information acquired in Antiguoko between the ages of 9 and 18 is what gave rise to the modern-day Alosno. “At Antiguoko, everything was about the ball, about technique, about understanding the game,” Alonso reflects. It served as a solid foundation for the rest of our lives. It cultivated behaviors that advanced our careers.

Alonso’s colleagues became aware of his keen interest in strategy as soon as he rose to fame at Liverpool. Luis Garica stated after seeing how long Alonso would practice with Rafa Benitez: “We all know that Xabi will become a coach in the future. He is already a coach while on the field.

Since he began playing in the midfield, Alonso has always been the boss.

DISCOVER MOREAlonso has always been a player at the base of the midfield in every side he has played for, from Liverpool to Real Madrid to Bayern to Spain, but at every place, he had to adjust to every new change. The answer to L’Équipe’s query about Alonso’s coaching “philosophy” is also adaptation.

Since I started competing, Alonso said, “My goal has been to control, organize, and help my teammates play better.” Do I possess a distinctive style? No! The feelings of my athletes matter. My thoughts won’t help them if they don’t understand what I’m saying. I have to alter because of them.

Alonso began his coaching career modestly with the Real Madrid U14 team and the Sociedad minor club before moving on to Leverkusen. In comparison to his close buddy Arteta, who rose from assistant at Man City to coach of Arsenal, that is too conservative. Alonso, however, prefers to start off small and must first learn how to walk before learning how to run.

“Because I was used to dealing with top players, when I first started coaching the Real Madrid minor team, it was a real struggle. But I had to adjust to the kids at that time and become used to their level. them and their mentality. All of those things caused me to drastically alter my communication style. There won’t be many challenges for you if you can adjust to amateur players and organize them into a unit. again”.

Discover from the best.Alonso has played for five of the 15 coaches who have led teams to Champions League victories in the 21st century: Vicente del Bosque, Rafael Benitez, Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, and Pep Guardiola. Not every player has the good fortune to learn from these well-known coaches, and even fewer are valued by these tactical masterminds like Alonso.

Alonso appreciates his good fortune and seizes every chance to develop the abilities that will serve him well in his upcoming coaching career. Alonso left everything behind shortly after Real Madrid and he won the Champions League to join Guardiola at Bayern. In 2019, Alonso commented, “I want to learn Pep’s secret because I’m curious.”

“He is naturally enthusiastic and restless. Pep never gets fatigued even though the seasons are frequently very long. He is constantly ready. Players always prepare better for opponents when they have a coach like that. Alonso and Pep had a lot in common in Munich, including tactical skill, positional awareness, attention to detail, analytical prowess, emotional control, game mastery, and intensity. competition.

Alonso like Pep’s coaching style in particular.

Alonso is skilled at handling the dressing room, interacting with the media, and dealing with the board of directors thanks to a “gentleman” coach like Ancelotti. While Alonso’s attitude and Mourinho’s “dusty” style are somewhat at odds, it is impossible to discount the “Special One”‘s fervent pragmatism. Overall, despite his retirement, Alonso is still a composed midfielder who is continually growing and changing to meet new challenges. How was it possible for such a gifted playmaker to not succeed as a coach?

Alonso was always wanted back by Bayern as head coach.In 2019, former CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge stated of Alonso, “Alonso is the brightest and most strategic player I know among midfielders. He is a fantastic athlete and speaks four languages, including German. He is also a nice person to be around. I’d want to see him come back to Bayern as a coach someday. He is now pursuing his coaching degree in Spain. At some point, we’ll have to make an effort to get him back to Bayern.