With 30 wins, 4 draws and 90 goals since Xabi Alonso took over, Bayer Leverkusen remain the only unbeaten team in Europe’s top-5 leagues.
The league leaders became the first team in German football history to record zero losses in 34 matches in all competitions.
The previous record was held by Bayern Munich under Hansi Flick over the course of two seasons between 2020 and 2021.
Leverkusen have now gone 34 games unbeaten in all competitions this season following a 2-0 win over Lugano on 3rd March 2024.
Currently, Leverkusen are 8 points clear on top of the table with 64 points followed by Bayern Munich with 54.
Alonso’s side have only failed to win four games this season – draws with Bayern, Borussia Dortmund, Stuttgart and Borussia Monchengladbach.
Xabi Alonso’s style of play is a third man concept comprising of triangles, rotations, and vertical. His preferred formation is 3-4-2-1.
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Xabi Alonso in Bayer Leverkusen
Highly regarded as a classy midfielder for Real Madrid, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Real Sociedad, Alonso was untested as a coach at a major club until Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes entrusted him with the team on 5th October 2022.
He succeeded Gerardo Seoane and has transformed the team from relegation threats to an unbeaten Bundesliga leader in just over a year since taking over.
Leverkusen was second last in the Bundesliga with just five points from its opening eight games.
They were already knocked out in the first round of the German Cup and struggling in the Champions League.
Just 26 games later they finished in sixth place and qualified for the UEFA Europa league.
The team won 22 of its 35 games in the Bundesliga in 2023, a club record within a calendar year.
Alonso’s contract is set to expire on June 30th, 2026.
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Prior Career
After completing his UEFA Elite coaching course on August 28, 2018, he returned to Real Madrid where he assumed a role coaching the Real Madrid U14s until 30th June 2019.
Alonso was later appointed manager of Segunda Divion B club Real Sociedad B on 1st July 2019 to 30th June 2022 and played 98 matches.
The ex-midfielder won UEFA Champions League titles with Liverpool and Madrid, before adding three Bundesliga titles and the DFB Cup to his collection during a successful three-season stint at Bayern between 2014 and 2017.
He was also part of Spain’s 2010 FIFA World Cup and 2008 and 2012 UEFA Euro-winning teams.
Xabi Alonso has also emerged as a hot favorite to become the next Liverpool manager following Jurgen Klopp’s shock decision to leave the club at the end of the season.
It’s however claimed that the Reds board made their first contact with Alonso in November 2023, earmarking him as the top candidate to replace Klopp come the summer.
