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Former FC Barcelona star and Arsenal icon has claimed that the Real Madrid players are not as obedient to Xabi Alonso as the Bayer Leverkusen squad was. The Spanish manager made trophy-laden history when he took charge of the Bundesliga side in October 2022. Alonso led the club to their greatest success when they went undefeated in winning their first Bundesliga title, completing the double by winning the German Cup.
The German side, based in Leverkusen, derided by rivals as "Neverkusen," had been languishing in the relegation zone. Alonso, the former midfielder, led them to being invincible in the 2023–24 Bundesliga season to dethrone Bayern Munich.
Alonso enjoyed an unprecedented unbeaten streak despite Leverkusen’s loss in the Europa League final, leaving them as a club legend after only two full seasons in charge. The Spaniard’s incredible tactics etched his name into the club history books. However, things are not the same with Los Blancos, and an ex-Barcelona star has compared the situation to his past success with the German club.
Ex-Barca star compares stubborn Xabi Alonso’s Madrid & obedient Leverkusen squad
Thierry Henry believes that the Real Madrid players dont listen to Alonso as much as the unbeaten Leverkusen squad did. According to CBS Sports, the former FC Barcelona star and Arsenal legend said:
"I feel sorry for Xabi Alonso because you could see what he did at Leverkusen when he was able to coach a team that was going to listen to what he wanted to do. It's a different ball game."
The Whites’ performance continues to be a concern at all levels. In the absence of superstar Kylian Mbappe, the club lost 1-2 against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and has only managed to win two games in the last seven matches. The certain division of opinion in the dressing room is no secret, speculating that the environment has a significant impact on the relationship between the coach and the players.
As per a report by The Athletic back in October, it was said that Alonso’s footballing concepts and his personal approach did not work well with a significant number of players in the first team. However, the players have shown their support for the head coach recently. Additionally, the Spanish coach has also talked about the “unity” among the team working towards the same goal.
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