According to long-time Bayern Munich full-back Philipp Lahm (40), it was always clear that his teammate Xabi Alonso (42) would become a great coach. The player, who has never received a red card in his career, also believes that the current Bayer Leverkusen coach will make the right choice where he will operate in the future.
“Xabi Alonso has always been a strategist. Even when he was playing, you could predict that he would become a great coach,” Lahm said in an interview with AFP. The defender, with 113 international starts, played alongside Alonso at Bayern for three years, both ending in the summer of 2017.
Lahm is currently working as the director of this year’s European Championship, which will take place in Germany. It is in the Bundesliga there that Leverkusen is playing, led by one of the most sought-after coaches today, Alonso.
They have a 10-point lead over Bayern in the hunt for the title, in addition, they made it to the semi-finals of the German Cup without a single defeat across the competitions and also made it to the quarter-finals of the Europa League, where they will face West Ham.
es Xabi Alonso will never lose it! pic.twitter.com/Y05xW6nBon
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) March 22, 2024
So it’s no wonder the 42-year-old Spaniard’s name is being linked with a return to his former clubs Bayern and Liverpool. Both teams will certainly have a coaching vacancy in the summer.
Lahm is confident that Alonso’s smarts off the pitch have also transferred to his new job and will help him in his rapid career progression. “Xabi was not only an intelligent player, but he’s an intelligent person, so I think he’s thinking carefully about where his next steps might lead,” he said.
“The question is whether the right time to leave Leverkusen is now or later,” Lahm also pondered. “I’m sure he’ll coach even bigger clubs than Leverkusen in his coaching career. I’m looking forward to seeing where he goes,” added the slide master, adding that he enjoys watching the football Alonso’s team presents.
Alonso knows how he wants to play
When Alonso took over Leverkusen in October 2022 floundering against odds close to the relegation zone, he had little personal experience of coaching. “He has given the team confidence, strength and stability because he has a clear idea of how he wants to play,” Lahm is clear.
“He knows his players, their strengths and weaknesses. And he puts it all together. That’s why Leverkusen is doing so well,” believes the native of Munich.
As a player, Alonso won titles in England, Germany and Spain, winning both the World Cup and the Euros with Spain. He has also worked under several top coaches during that time, including Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti, Rafa Benítez and Vicente del Bosque – a fact that Lahm has not lost sight of.
“He learned from the best. He always had top coaches. He worked at the highest level on the international and club scene,” said the German.
“He had a clear plan and chose his path strategically. It wasn’t like he saw an offer from a top club and immediately nodded at it. He wanted to learn, he always knows his goal,” concluded Lahm.
The article was originally published for Livesport News.
