Xabi Alonso raves about Florian Wirtz and also describes him by comparing him to Lionel Messi. And the Spaniard talks about himself and his coaching career in an interview.
Xabi Alonso does not train his teams with friendliness alone.
In an interview with the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, the 41-year-old Spanish coach of the Bundesliga soccer club Bayer 04 Leverkusen said that he was not a sergeant “who rules the dressing room with an iron fist”. Mimicking a villain doesn’t suit him either, emphasized Alonso. “Which doesn’t mean that I can’t get loud if I have to. You have to be able to play different music.”
Alonso took over the Werkself last October. The highly decorated ex-professional entered the coaching business in the youth department of Real Madrid. From there he went to Real Sociedad’s second team in his native San Sebastián. “I had the peace and freedom to get to know and try myself as a coach. I could make mistakes and find out what I was comfortable with. You have to have good self-knowledge to be authentic,” explained Alonso.
He sometimes played there in training, “to see: How does what I had thought up on the field look like? Are the ideas I have good in practice? Or just in theory?” The path from the ideal to practice is often very long.
Finally a small series
Alonso got a contract with the Leverkusen team that is valid until the end of June 2024. Before the restart in the Bundesliga after the World Cup and winter break, the works team is in twelfth place in the table after three wins in a row. Opponent on Sunday next week away is Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Alonso also has high hopes for Florian Wirtz, who is ready to play again after recovering from a cruciate ligament rupture. “There are good players and there are players who look good on the pitch. The player who looks good does things that are beautiful, but not necessarily efficient,” explained Alonso, citing world champion Lionel Messi as an example.
The 35-year-old Argentinian knows how and when to play simple passes. “Messi says: ‘You’re in a better position? Here, there you have the ball!’ It’s not always about making the most brilliant move, it’s about the smartest. Florian can do it,” emphasized Alonso. Wirtz trained very well and hard. “But he needs the competitive rhythm. From the coming weekend it’s already time in Mönchengladbach: Rock’n’Roll.”
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
