XABI ALONSO: THE PERFECT NEXT CLUB

Few managers have risen as quickly as Xabi Alonso. After transforming Bayer Leverkusen into one of Europe’s most dominant and tactically sophisticated teams, Alonso established himself as one of the most exciting coaches in modern football. His team combined controlled possession, positional intelligence, and a solid defensive structure, which led to an undefeated Bundesliga title.

He tried to implement a similar style of play at Real Madrid and achieved decent initial results. However, he eventually lost the full support of the dressing room after key players became frustrated by the lack of freedom. Alonso mostly struggled to convince superstars Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé to contribute defensively. Vinícius particularly struggled with the tactical mold Alonso tried to fit him into.

His perfect next club requires specific players that fit his style of play, but who are also willing to commit to Alonso’s principles.

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Alonso’s style of play

In Possession

Alonso’s teams aim to push opponents deep into their own half with short passes and central overloads. At Leverkusen, his team played in a 3-4-2-1 formation. A double pivot and two attacking midfielders created a box-midfield.

During settled possessions, like the example above, they play short passes between their back three and double pivot. The goal is to pull the opponent’s midfielders out of their defensive structure and exploit the space left behind them.

Once the space between the midfield and back line is created, they try to find one of the attacking midfielders — or in this case the striker — in between the lines. The key for Alonso’s teams to turn high possession into chances is what happens after.

When the opponent’s midfield is beaten, Alonso’s wide players and attackers are encouraged to collectively run at the defence. This creates a dilemma for the opposing defence. If they step up to close the space in between the lines, the players making runs can be found behind the defence. In this example, Leverkusen’s right wingback finds the left attacking midfielder behind the defence with a cross.

However, if the defensive line decides to drop deep, decreasing the threat of runs in behind, Alonso’s attacking midfielder can be found in large pockets of space. This becomes especially dangerous when facing a creative player like Florian Wirtz.

Short pass to pull midfielder out of block:

Wirtz with space to turn into:

Despite his structured positional play, Alonso doesn’t restrict his players to stay in a fixed position. At Leverkusen, creative left wingback Grimaldo regularly swapped positions with the left attacking midfielder (usually Wirtz) creating moments of confusion for the opponents.

Defensively

Although Alonso’s Leverkusen played with the highest defensive line in the Bundesliga, his team didn’t commit to extremely intense pressing (StatsBomb). In both full seasons in charge, Leverkusen ranked 8th in the league in terms of PPDA. During his short spell at Madrid, his team also ranked 8th in LaLiga in pressing intensity. Rather than extremely intense man-to-man pressing, his teams rely on intelligent positioning and timing to win the ball back within the opponent’s half.

The central overload created in possession also created the base of Leverkusen’s pressing structure. Because they play without true wingers, opponents are invited to build-up through their full backs. Once opponents are pushed towards one side, Alonso’s players trap them against the sideline, committing many players towards the ball-side. Even if opponents find a way to escape the press on one side, his players are ready to punish any mistakes with intense sprints, like below.

However, if the opportunity to trap opponents doesn’t arise or the press is beaten, Alonso’s team drops into a compact lower block. Depending on the opponent, his team defends in a structured 5-4-1 or 4-4-2 block—with either one or both of the wingbacks dropping into the defensive line.

In transition

Where Alonso’s teams are relatively patient in pressing when the opponent is building out from the back, they apply intense counter-pressing immediately after losing the ball. Once again, their central overload plays into this principle. In the example below, Leverkusen lose the ball under pressure.

Frimpong (right wingback) makes an intense effort to force the opponent on the ball into the centre of the pitch.

Within the centre of the pitch, Leverkusen have many players ready to step out and trap the ball carrier.

Once they recover the ball, we see their willingness to run at the defence again, this time after a deep recovery. They are willing to give up controlled possession for a direct attack if they have a numerical advantage over the opponent.

Key players

To facilitate this style of play, Alonso relies on specific key player profiles. At Leverkusen, Granit Xhaka was a central figure in midfield, responsible for progressing the ball into the final third more than any other Bundesliga player and completing the most line-breaking passes in the league. Florian Wirtz stood out after returning from a long-term injury, contributing both goals and assists but especially finding space between lines — receiving more line-breaking passes with at least two metres of space in the final third than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues that season (StatsBomb).

Progressive passers within the double pivot and creative midfielders like Wirtz are necessary to punish low blocks from controlled possession. Additionally, his defenders must be able to defend with large spaces behind them and offensive players need the willingness and athleticism to make runs in behind after players like Xhaka and Wirtz did their job. Finally, Alonso prefers flexible players in some positions, allowing his team to shift between defensive structures within matches.

Potential next clubs

Liverpool

The most obvious and rumoured next destination for Xabi Alonso is another one of his previous clubs, Liverpool. This would only be possible if Arne Slot is sacked or leaves the club, which doesn’t seem probable right now, but a disappointing end to the season might change that possibility.

Besides having played for the club during his career, another link with Liverpool is the possible reunion with Florian Wirtz and Jeremy Frimpong. The latter is the perfect high-intensity runner on the right flank, whilst Milos Kerkez could replicate that role on the left. Besides, Liverpool’s Curtis Jones leads the Premier League in passes into the final third, allowing him to find Wirtz between the lines, similarly to Xhaka (PER 90).

Due to their forward options (Salah, Ekitike, Isak), the front three could look more like a front two with Wirtz behind them, creating a structure like the one below.

Gravenberch has played as a centre back before, and within this back three he could advance into midfield against defensive structures with one striker. Szoboszlai possesses the athleticism and versatility to cover defensively for Frimpong and Salah, as well as provide offensive value from within the double pivot and in between the lines.

By signing a new centre back, able to play on the right side of a back three, Alonso could build a post-Salah squad with Gravenberch next to Jones and Szoboszlai as the right attacking midfielder.

Manchester City

If we look for other teams with a combination of elite line-breakers and receivers between the lines, Manchester City ranks very high. According to Gradient Sports, Rodri leads all Premier League players in line-breaking passes per 90 minutes.

SkillCorner’s Playmaker Index ranked Florian Wirtz as the best modern playmaker last summer. The 2nd player on that ranking was Phil Foden, who also scored high in terms of operating between the lines and receiving on the half-turn. Together with Rayan Cherki, he could form a dangerous partnership in between the lines.

Man City also have some strong athletes, able to punish high lines and run at the defence—most notably Erling Haaland. Although Gvardiol is officially left-footed, he has shown to be very comfortable with his right foot, which could allow him to play on the right side of a back three.

It remains unclear whether Pep Guardiola will complete his contract length at Man City or leave this summer, which could open up space for Alonso to utilise the plethora of individual quality within the squad.

Juventus

A final, but in my opinion less likely destination for Alonso would be Juventus. Current manager Spalletti hasn’t extended his expiring contract yet and the squad does fit Alonso’s play style. However, with his track record, I assume Alonso is willing to wait for an opportunity at a higher quality team than the current number six in the Serie A.

That being said, the current Juventus squad is already used to playing a 3-4-2-1 system and has a Wirtz-like creative midfielder/forward in Kenan Yildiz. Besides, Manuel Locatelli is one of the most underrated central midfielders in Europe right now. He leads the Serie A and ranks 6th across the top 5 European leagues in passes into the final third (PER 90).

A potential Alonso-led Juventus could look like this:

Conclusion

Xabi Alonso has already proven he belongs among Europe’s elite coaches. His teams combine positional intelligence, controlled possession, and coordinated defensive structures to dominate territory and create high-value chances. However, his experience at Real Madrid also showed that his ideas require more than tactical quality — they demand players willing to fully commit to collective discipline.

For Alonso to succeed at his next club, the squad must contain intelligent line-breakers, creative players between the lines, and attackers prepared to work without the ball. Liverpool and Manchester City appear best suited to meet these requirements, offering both the tactical profiles and structural stability his philosophy demands. If placed in the right environment, Alonso’s rise to the very top of European management may only just be beginning.