Xabi Alonso – Football Flame

Xabi Alonso: Real Madrid set ideal timeframe for appointment

18Apr

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

BUNDESLIGA

Xabi Alonso: Real Madrid set ideal timeframe for appointment

Xabi Alonso of Bayer 04 Leverkusen controls the ball during the Champions League round of 16 match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Bayern Munich at BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany on March 11, 2025. Real Madrid are ready to accelerate their pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso, a report has revealed, with the recently dethroned Champions League holders hoping to appoint a new boss before this summer's Club World Cup. It emerged in the aftermath of Madrid's Champions League exit at the hands of Arsenal that current boss Carlo Ancelotti is expected to leave the club later this month, with the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona potentially his final game in charge. Alonso has long been viewed as Madrid's dream replacement for Ancelotti and The Times report that the 15-time Cham...

Bayer’s Alonso clinches 50 Bundesliga wins

23Dec

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

BUNDESLIGA

Bayer’s Alonso clinches 50 Bundesliga wins

Xabi Alonso recorded his 50th win in 75 Bundesliga games with Bayer Leverkusen when they beat Freiburg on Matchday 15, making 2024 the most successful year in the club's history. That 50th victory was brought up in impressive style as Leverkusen ran out 5-1 winners against Freiburg. Alonso has been a revelation since taking charge of Die Werkself, winning the league undefeated in his first full season in the dugout, whilst also leading his side to DFB Cup and Supercup wins, as well as a UEFA Europa League final. So far in this campaign, Alonso has shown that last season was not just a case of beginner’s luck, winning nine, drawing five and losing just one of the opening 15 games. His side currently sit in second place, four points behind Bayern Munich and on their way to another title ch...

Alonso: Inter European ‘strongest teams’, Bayer ‘can’t wait’

9Dec

By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

Champions League

Alonso: Inter European ‘strongest teams’, Bayer ‘can’t wait’

LEVERKUSEN, GERMANY - DECEMBER 9: Headcoach Xabi Alonso of Leverkusen during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD6 press conference at BayArena on December 9, 2024 in Leverkusen, Germany. (Photo by Jörg Schüler/Bayer 04 Leverkusen via Getty Images) Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso admits it will be ‘fantastic’ to face Inter as they will try to win in ‘every possible way’ against one of the ‘strongest teams in Europe’ to qualify among the Champions League top eight. Last season’s Europa League finalists and the Nerazzurri are set to meet on Tuesday in a clash opposing two sides separated only by three points in the standings of the renewed Champions League’s group phase, and the Spanish coach claimed they are ‘looking forward’ to hosting a team with ‘great players and one o...

Alonso slams Leverkusen ‘complacency’ after draw

6Oct

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

BUNDESLIGA

Alonso slams Leverkusen ‘complacency’ after draw

Hosts Bayer Leverkusen paid the price for being complacent after squandering a two-goal lead and losing control of the game before drawing 2-2 against promoted Holstein Kiel in the German Bundesliga on Saturday. Champions Leverkusen scored twice in the opening eight minutes but wasted a two-goal advantage for the third time in six Bundesliga matches this season. "I am not satisfied with our performance. It was our own fault. We did not play intelligently and we thought the game was done but in football you have to keep going always with the same intensity," Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso told reporters. "We were far too passive. After a big game in the Champions League we did not have the right mentality for this game." Last season's domestic league and cup winners, who beat AC Milan 1-0 in ...

Vincent Kompany vs. Xabi Alonso: Battle of the coaches as Bayern Munich host Bayer Leverkusen

25Sep

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Vincent Kompany vs. Xabi Alonso: Battle of the coaches as Bayern Munich host Bayer Leverkusen

New Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany will face his biggest challenge yet as his side host reigning Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen at the Allianz Arena on Saturday. LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 18: head coach Xabi Alonso of Bayer 04 Leverkusen gestures during the UEFA Europa League 2023/24 Quarter-Final second leg match between West Ham United FC and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Olympic Stadium on April 18, 2024 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Vincent Mignott/DeFodi Images via Getty Images) In the opposite dugout will be Xabi Alonso, the former Bayern player who has already made the transition from world-class player to title-winning manager, and someone Kompany is trying to emulate.It has been a fantastic start to life at the Bayern helm for Kompany. In fact, the Belg...

Alonso ‘bitter’ as Leverkusen unbeaten run ends

1Sep

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

BUNDESLIGA

Alonso ‘bitter’ as Leverkusen unbeaten run ends

Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said he had a "bitter" feeling after the German champions saw their impressive unbeaten run in the Bundesliga end with a 3-2 defeat by RB Leipzig on Saturday. Under Alonso, Leverkusen have made crucial late goals a speciality. It briefly seemed like that might happen again when the referee went to review a possible penalty in the 86th minute after Leipzig's Castello Lukeba and Leverkusen's Patrik Schick made contact. The referee decided against the spot kick and Leverkusen lost to a German opponent for the first time since May 2023 after 35 Bundesliga games unbeaten, including their entire title-winning 2023-24 season. "It's hard, it's bitter," Alonso told German broadcaster Sky. "I don't think we deserved to lose today." The defeat left Leverkusen on...

Leverkusen face first major hurdle against Leipzig

29Aug

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

BUNDESLIGA

Leverkusen face first major hurdle against Leipzig

Defending Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen face a potential title rival in RB Leipzig at the BayArena on Saturday (kick-off: 6.30pm CEST). Leverkusen were already the team to beat after sailing unbeaten to a Bundesliga and DFB Cup double in 2023/24. They let slip a 2-0 lead in the opening game of their title defence at local rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach last Friday, only for Florian Wirtz to score a 101st-minute winner that extends the club's remarkable unbowed run to 35 Bundesliga matches. That streak stands at a barely fathomable 43 fixtures in all domestic competitions, Xabi Alonso's charges having also got the better of VfB Stuttgart in the Supercup and fourth-tier Carl Zeiss Jena in the opening round of the DFB Cup. Goalkeeeper Lukáš Hrádecký should be fit after missing...

16Aug

By Silver Emmanuel2 Comments

BUNDESLIGA

Under Pressure: Bayer Leverkusen bosses reportedly urged to sell stars after title season

These are the days it never rains, but it pours. After securing a Bundesliga title and keeping hold of some of its key members — like attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz and head coach Xabi Alonso — Bayer Leverkusen is now reportedly under pressure from its ownership to cash in on success and sell other assets. It seems that is a situation Bayern Munich is capitalizing on by threatening to walk out of the door — with a move for Leverkusen center-back Jonathan Tah now looking unlikely, and causing a brief war of words between club executives this week. From Tz journalists Manuel Bonke and Philipp Kessler, as captured via @iMiaSanMia: Leverkusen are being urged by the Bayer Group to sell players because their market values are higher than usual after the title. Tah is considered the num...