by Oliver Trust
BERLIN, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- For a reason former German national coach Joachim Low recently called Xabi Alonso a "genius tactician."
While the 43-year-old Spaniard had turned into a valuable strategist as a player for Real, the LFC, and Bayern, the former midfielder kept his abilities and further enhanced his gift as a coach.
Five successful games against national rival Bayern Munich as Leverkusen's coach might prove the 2014 FIFA World Cup champion coach's judgment.
The latest coup, the 1-0 victory in the 2024/25 German Cup's last 16-round in the Munich arena, for many pundits is another step towards a coaching career leading to top European clubs.
Rumors in Spain seem to be growing that the two-time UEFA Champions League winner (2005 LFC/2014 Real) is ahead of a vital step, such as leaving the 2024 German champion and joining Real next summer.
Having led Bayer to the club's first national title in the previous season and keeping spirits up in the difficult following season seems to fuel speculations, that Alonso has reached a suitable level.
In all five encounters against the Bavarians, the Spaniard came up with a tactical surprise. In the latest Cup game, long balls over Bayern's back-chain made Leverkusen take the victory.
The winning goal, scored by the England-born and Nigerian-rooted Nathan Tella, gave a convincing example of Alonso's match plan.
German international Jonathan Tah outlined his team tactics confirming: "We wanted to play these long passes to make deep runs and get right in front of their goal."
The sports magazine kicker called the actions "tactical traps." One caught Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer in the 17th minute with the former German international crashing in Jereme Frimpong harvesting a red card.
Leverkusen midfielder Robert Andrich spoke of a "turning point" after a bumpy 2024/25 season start. "We understood things don't work by themselves. We saw it might take dirty wins to keep on track," the 30-year-old said.
"We might have failed to present a perfect match, but we pushed through our plans," Tah added while the media was talking about Leverkusen (and Alonso) as the Bavarian's new "feared opponent."
The victory in Munich is delivering additional confidence for the national campaign, players and the successful coach assumed.
While Leverkusen officials such as CEO Fernando Carro deny in advance agreements with Real, speculations remain, that the courted coach might leave at the end of the 2024/25 season.
As a fact, Bayer's sporting director Sinon Rolfes is investigating coaching successors such as the Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeness.
Alonso is meanwhile working on the next title as his side turned into the 2024/25 German Cup favorites making it into the last eight rounds.
Calmly, the Leverkusen coach is explaining football's daily routines as he is speaking about having achieved a "big goal but not having reached anything yet."
Keeping pressure off his team made him win the 2024 national title aside from the 2024 German Cup. As it seems, Alonso is always finding answers to his team's situation. At the end of this season, he might have to find one regarding his future. ■
