Bullet dodged by Liverpool! Alonso was not ready for Anfield return

Tom Weber

Updated: 22 Mar 2025 19:01 GMT
5 min read

This season is proving to be a valuable learning experience for Bayer Leverkusen head coach Xabi Alonso, illustrating that it was for the better for him and for Liverpool that he did not make the move to Anfield last year.

Article continues under the video

The Basque tactician was football's most in-demand coaching commodity around this time last year. Alonso was overseeing an unexpected title challenge in his first full season in charge of Bayer Leverkusen and the campaign ultimately went down in history.

Not only did Alonso lead 'Neverkusen,' the perennial and notorious runners-up, to their first Bundesliga title ever but he also pulled off a domestic double and did it in style too, going the entire Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal campaign unbeaten.

His exploits with Leverkusen attracted the attention of Liverpool and Bayern Munich, who were desperate to bring the 43-year-old in. However, he opted to remain with the Werkself and it was probably a wise decision.

Leverkusen's drop-off

It has been a steep learning curve for Alonso this season as things are no longer smooth sailing for the inexperienced coach. Leverkusen's 'title defence' can barely be referred to as such as Bayern have stormed away at the top of the Bundesliga.

Due to the expectations that come with being champions, Leverkusen have often played with the weight of the world on their shoulders this term. The freedom, swagger and self-assuredness of last season has disappeared.

Leverkusen have dropped points against relegation battlers Kiel and Bochum this season, while they were recently beaten by a Werder Bremen side that had been in genuinely atrocious form.

To be sure, Leverkusen are comfortably second in the Bundesliga and are in the DFB-Pokal semi-final, so this season is far from a write-off, but it has been a very difficult campaign for the Werkself.

Alonso's relative lack of experience as a coach has been exposed at times, too. Leverkusen completely outplayed Bayern in a Bundesliga clash in February with a strikerless formation, so the former midfielder went with the same system when these two sides faced off in the Champions League a month later.

However, Alonso seemingly failed to consider that his counterpart Vincent Kompany could have learned from the earlier encounter. Well, he did. Bayern comfortably dumped Leverkusen out of the Champions League, winning 5-0 over two legs.

Indeed, it is noticeable that when Leverkusen fail to gain control of a game, they tend to get trounced. Atalanta ended their historic unbeaten run with an emphatic 3-0 win in the Europa League final last season. Liverpool played them off the park (4-0) at Anfield in the Champions League earlier this term and we already mentioned the Bayern tie.

Alonso gaining experience through hardship

Some of Alonso's personnel decisions have also drawn criticism. His decision to play without a striker against Bayern in Europe was reminiscent of Pep Guardiola's notorious tinkering. Alonso outcoached himself rather than the opposition.

Alonso left in-form striker Patrik Schick on the bench for the first leg against Bayern and this caused surprise and consternation. His relationship with the Czech striker has been described as professional but very tense.

Schick has scored a whopping 23 goals this season despite often being benched by Alonso, who prefers Victor Boniface. However, the Nigerian has struggled with injuries and has also made negative headlines with his antics on and off the pitch.

© IMAGO - Victor Boniface lost his head at teammate Emi Buendia earlier this month

Leverkusen thus find themselves in the curious position of likely being left without a striker in the summer. They are actively looking to sell Boniface and Schick wants a change of scenery due to being fed up with constantly being in and out of the side.

Leverkusen's recruitment this season has been nowhere near as effective as it was last term. Despite the contingent of Spanish speakers steadily growing, the side looks more disjointed than before. Aleix Garcia has been the only arrival who can be classified as a resounding success.

Taking all of the above into account, it is clear that Alonso actually made the right decision by rejecting Liverpool and Bayern. This season will have given him valuable experience and made him better at his job. After all, this is still only his second full campaign as a senior head coach.

As for Liverpool and Bayern, his decision has worked out pretty well for them, too, with both on course to win their respective domestic league titles under Arne Slot and the aforementioned Kompany.