Can Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen Stop Bayern Munich this season?

Bayer Leverkusen under coach Xavi Alonso have been getting global attention and have been one of the best in the Bundesliga.

The German Bundesliga is filled with good teams that play good football, and it’s one of the most competitive league in the world.

Irrespective of FC Bayern Munich’s dominance in the league, there are other clubs that are looking to fight toe to toe with them.

Xabi Alonso took over the manager’s role at Bayer Leverkusen on 5th, October 2022, and the former Madrid and Liverpool star has shown his managerial prowess which is helping Die Werkself mount a strong challenge in the league.

Bayer Leverkusen is the first senior team that Xabi Alonso, 41, is managing after coaching Real Madrid and Real Sociedad youth teams.

Xabi Alonso’s men has been one of the best teams to watch out for in the Bundesliga’s 2023-24 season, and will battle Bayern Munich this summer due to the following reasons:

Playing Style

Bayer Leverkusen’s playing style has been likewise Spanish system which is rather obvious because of the man in charge.

Bayer Leverkusen under Alonso starts with a 3-4-2-1 formation but transitions to a more adventurous 4-2-4 in their matches.

The player on the other hand receive clear information from their manager to stay close to each other and play possession-based football that involves slick short-distance passes.

The overloads all across the pitch make it hard for the opposition to snatch ball possession from Leverkusen players.

Bayer Leverkusen also show positional fluidity in the formation which means that players are constantly moving into different positions on the pitch.

All praises to Xabi Alonso’s system, Bayer Leverkusen is taking a different, less direct approach to attacking in the German Bundesliga.

Alonso’s men are more focused on shorter, quick passes, positional fluidity and having multiple options due to overloads, which are all features that make neutrals take notice of the side.

Good Signing By Bayer Leverkusen

Leverkusen have made an impression in the transfer market by signing players like Granit Xhaka, Alejandro Grimaldo, Jonas Hoffman and Victor Boniface.

Boniface has started life well in Germany after scoring a brace in a 3-0 away victory over Borussia Monchengladbach.

Granit Xhaka’s presence in the midfield keeps the ball ticking and provides a brilliant balance with Grimaldo and Hoffman supporting at the wings.

Strong Start To The Season

Bayer Leverkusen is one of the 6 teams in Europe’s top five league to have enjoyed and have a perfect record in 2023-24.

They won against strong sides such as RB Leipzig and Borussia Monchengladbach and that shows the team are one of the contenders for the title or at least the top four UEFA Champions League spots.

Last season, they finished sixth but this season ought to be different as Alonso was able to bring in players that fit his system.

However, a pre-season with the squad helped Alonso channel his tactics and get the players to play according to a system that would bear good results.

Futballnews is predicting that if there will be one club to rival Bayern Munich this season, it is Bayern Leverkusen.