On 19 August Real Madrid start their new La Liga campaign at home against Osasuna with Xabi Alonso in charge for his first league game. That would have seemed unthinkable only three years ago when he had just taken over at Bayer Leverkusen.
He admitted thinking: “What am I doing here? … Why did we hire this guy from Real Sociedad B?” but the Bundesliga side knew what they were doing. Within two years he had taken them to a historic double as well as the Europa League final. The 2023-24 league title was secured by going undefeated. Last season they finished second behind Bayern Munich – no mean feat – and on 25 May he was confirmed as Carlo Ancelotti’s replacement as manager for The whites.
After a Club World Cup ending in a 4-0 semi-final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain the 43-year-old faces arguably the biggest challenge of his career. “I was surprised by what he did at Leverkusen,” says Gaizka Ayesa, who played under Alonso for Real Sociedad B from 2020 to 2022. “I knew what kind of coach he was and what he could do but to go so long without losing … I think even he was surprised.”
Pressing, tactics and video work
To truly understand Alonso’s rise, you have to go back to his beginnings. To start out as a coach, the Basque returned to his first love, Real Sociedad, where he had launched his playing career. With the reserve team, where he spent three years and achieved a historic promotion to Spain’s second division (2019-22), the Tolosa-born former midfielder worked diligently in the shadows, without any pressure but with already well-defined principles. “His goal was to develop a very offensive style of play with quick ball recoveries after losing possession. The idea was to create gaps and exploit them as fast as possible,” recalls Théo Lucbert, a winger for Poitiers who trained under Alonso at Real Sociedad. “His style was a bit different from what you see now. Back then, he liked his full-backs to help more in the middle of the pitch, whereas at Bayer, they play almost like wingers.”
And this is perhaps what you would call the “Xabi touch”: tactical adaptability. The 2010 World Cup winner with Spain is a master at maximising his players’ strengths while minimising their weaknesses through subtle adjustments. “He prepared us for matches extremely well,” says Imanol Ezkurdia, a centre-back at Guijuelo, who had just under three seasons under Alonso’s guidance. “He always knew exactly what was going to happen. He would tell us: ‘This and this and this will happen,’ and then it actually did. It was impressive.”
Alonso made heavy use of video analysis before matches. “We did a ton of video work,” says Ezkurdia. “He mainly showed us footage of ourselves – our training sessions and previous matches – to highlight what we were doing well and what needed improving. Then we would work on those things in training. After that, everything became easier. Sometimes, though, he would also show us clips of our opponents.”
Lucbert adds: “Xabi used video to show us how he wanted us to play, especially transitions in possession and when pressing. But he spent even more time on the pitch with us, drilling movement and decision-making so it all became automatic.”
The new Real Madrid manager leaves nothing to chance. Every player’s role was orchestrated like a perfectly tuned symphony. “He wanted me to help a lot out of possession, to run into space, and to stay very mobile so I could press in a very organised way,” says the forward Jorge Aguirre, who played for Alonso during the 2022-23 season and is now at Gil Vicente.
Ezkurdia was tasked with building out from the back – and to do it effectively: “At the time, we played a four-man defence with two centre-backs. I sometimes played in the middle and sometimes at full-back but I had a lot of freedom. We worked a lot on passing patterns and playing out from the back: short passes, long passes … In the end, I really improved my ball control.”
Respect in the dressing room
To lead his teams to success, Alonso also places a strong emphasis on human connection and emotional control. Very close to his players, he carries an aura that makes the squad members respect him. “The first time he walked into the dressing room, I remember being completely star-struck, even panicked,” smiles Ezkurdia. “I had watched him for years on TV, winning all those titles, a World Cup, Champions Leagues … He was really my idol.
“I remember he would sometimes play with us during training – and he was still the best! He loved having the ball at his feet. When we trained with him everything felt easier. Sometimes I had to defend against him … His touch was unreal, and he cracked a lot of jokes, too.” Ayesa adds. “He was very close to us. All the Canteranos loved him.”
after newsletter promotion
Alonso’s competitiveness also went down well with the players. “He had a particular strength: he wanted to win above all else,” says Aguirre. “His mentality helped us; you could see that he wanted to do things in a big way. He wanted us to play every game as if we were going to die.”
During Alonso’s second season with Real Sociedad B they won promotion to the Segunda División, a level they had not been at since 1962.
They won their playoff semi-final against FC Andorra before beating Algeciras thanks to an extra-time goal from Jon Karrikaburu. “The final was really incredible,” says Aguirre. “Before the game, Xabi was very calm. On the day of the match, he just told us to stay calm and play our football. And it worked.” For Ezkurdia, the memory is still vivid: “For me, it was the best year of my career. We played some amazing football, we trained amazingly well, and on top of that, we got promoted … What more could you ask for?”
At the final whistle, the celebration matched their effort on the pitch. Champagne flowing, photos with the fans, Basque flags, singing and dancing. “It was a huge moment,” says Ayesa. “To have that chance to play in the second division was something crazy for us because we were all so young and so happy. We celebrated it with him after we won.”
The following season was more difficult. Relegation followed but nobody could take away that sensational 2020-21 campaign from those players. Now Alonso is back in Spain ready to write the next chapter. Will his methods work with the superstars at Real Madrid? History suggests he will find a way.
