Managing Madrid interviewed Derek Rae—ESPN’s leading Bundesliga commentator, Bayer Leverkusen fan account @bayer04Xtra and German Football fan account @MiaSanMiaDFB to look deep into Xabi’s managerial time in Germany, before he comes back home to Real Madrid.
Xabi Alonso’s appointment as Real Madrid’s next manager is not just the return of a club legend—it’s the arrival of one of Europe’s most compelling young coaches. In just two years at Bayer Leverkusen, Alonso transformed a faltering squad into one of the most dominant sides in modern Bundesliga history. But his rise is about more than just trophies and tactics—it’s about presence, clarity, and culture.
To explore what makes Alonso special, Managing Madrid spoke with two different groups: a top-level professional voice in world football broadcasting, and the fans who watched his Leverkusen journey unfold in real time.
Mehedi (Managing Madrid): Have you ever interacted with Xabi Alonso directly—either as a player or manager? If so, what stood out to you?
Derek Rae (ESPN): I have, yes. As a commentator working for the Bundesliga world feed, I’m often asked to do pre-match interviews. I’ve run into him on that basis.
What strikes you about Alonso is his intelligence—his radiance, I’d say. He’s a very charismatic person. He talks about football the way he played football, and he makes you excited about it. He’s absolutely no fool, but there’s a nice side to him as well. I think there’s a pleasantness, but I’m sure he can be tough in the dressing room if needed.
He’s a mixture of many different things. The overwhelming feeling you get when you’re in his company is a positive one.
Mehedi: From your perspective, what sets Alonso apart tactically among Germany’s emerging coaches like Klopp, Tuchel, Nagelsmann, etc.?
Derek Rae: It’s still early in his career, so we have to consider that before comparing him to someone like Klopp, who’s been around a lot longer.
But what we’ve seen so far is that Alonso is very much his own person. It’s interesting—many players morph into different personalities when they become coaches. But Alonso coaches the way he played. There’s elegance in it.
Where he differs from the trend in German football is his focus on possession. That’s not to say German coaches don’t care about possession, but there’s been a strong emphasis on gegenpressing—capitalizing on transitional moments. Alonso incorporates that, but he also values patience.
I remember a game against Augsburg, about 18 months ago. It was 0–0 deep into stoppage time, and many coaches would’ve gone more direct. But Leverkusen didn’t. I said on-air, “Plan B is more of Plan A.” And it worked. They scored in the 94th minute through Exequiel Palacios.
So yes, tactics vary game to game, but the approach is usually the same—methodical, patient, calm. And that consistency says a lot about the players’ belief in the system.
Mehedi: Alonso has played under the likes of Benítez, Mourinho, Ancelotti, Guardiola, and Del Bosque. How much of that experience do you see reflected in his coaching style?
Derek Rae: He’s been lucky to play under some of the great tactical minds in football. You can see bits from all of them in his style, but he’s made it his own.
There’s certainly some Guardiola in what he does—that’s natural. But also his Spanish football upbringing comes through: control, technique, patience. Even though he’s Basque, you can still see those broader Spanish traits.
Of course, he played under Ancelotti—twice—and now he’s succeeding him at Madrid. That continuity is interesting. His football is progressive, easy on the eye. It’s not hurried, but they can raise the tempo when needed. But it feels distinctly like the Xabi style.
Mehedi: Do you think he’s ready for the unique pressures of managing Real Madrid—the media, internal politics, etc.?
Derek Rae: That will probably be the biggest challenge. I’m not going to say he’s not ready—he’s evolved a lot in the last couple of years—but the media intensity will be a step up.
Leverkusen isn’t a media hotspot. It’s a quiet outpost between Cologne and Düsseldorf. He’s mostly dealt with the same group of 20–25 journalists.
Real Madrid is one of the most intense football media environments in the world. Everyone wants a piece of you. Every detail is scrutinized. It’ll be a major change.
That said, he knows the culture. He’s played there. For a Spanish coach, this is the dream job. So it won’t surprise him—but it will test him in a new way.
Mehedi: Have you heard any interesting behind-the-scenes stories or anecdotes that reveal what Alonso is like as a manager or person?
Derek Rae: Yes—one story from February 2024 really stuck with me. I was commentating on a Leverkusen vs. Bayern match. Leverkusen didn’t just beat Bayern—they walloped them 3–0. That win put them five points clear in the title race.
After the match, there was a moment that said everything about Alonso. In German football, there’s a tradition where players go to the Kurve—the ultras’ section—to acknowledge the fans. Before Alonso joined the players, he rounded up every member of the backroom staff—assistant coaches, analysts, physios—you name it. He gestured for them to walk out with the players.
It was his way of saying: “We did this together.” It wasn’t just about him or the players—it was the entire team.
One member of that staff, Sebastián Parrilla, stands out. He’s been key in working on technique, especially with free-kicks. Leverkusen became one of the best free-kick sides under him. And he’ll likely follow Alonso to Madrid.
We also spoke to the avid followers of Bayer Leverkusen and German Football.
Mehedi: When Xabi Alonso was first appointed at Leverkusen, how was he received by the fans and media?
@bayer04Xtra: When Xabi arrived, we were in 17th place in the Bundesliga table after eight matchdays. So the mood at the club, around the club, wasn’t exactly good. And the fear was actually that the club could even get relegated that season or something, because things were just going that badly.
And I think many fans—me included at that point, at least—and also the media expected and wanted someone with more experience, maybe, to lead the team out of this crisis. So it was seen pretty critically, I would say, when he was appointed.
But that obviously changed after some time. Although the start under him—it was a slow start. We just won one of the first seven games under him. So there was definitely some criticism in the beginning. But as we all know, that quickly turned around.
Mehedi: Why do you think Leverkusen chose Xabi Alonso at the time?
@bayer04Xtra: That’s pretty easy to answer, I would say. Because Simon Rolfes, the sporting director of Leverkusen, and also Fernando Carro, the CEO, and others as well—they talked in detail about this, especially Rolfes.
The main reason for this was just that he was seen as the best candidate in basically every category but experience. That was the only thing he was missing.
As I also said earlier, the fans and media—they criticized that point. But from the club’s perspective, what Simon Rolfes said in an interview with Zweite Deutsche Fernsehen about a year ago was that the question for the club was: Do we believe in experience in the situation we were in at the time, or do we believe in quality?
And he said: “I’m convinced that you gain experience, but you have to have quality. And if experience is missing, you can also support and help someone.” And I think that quote really sums it up.
The club was convinced by Xabi’s quality, and they wanted to help him with the experience part. And I’d say that worked really well.
Mehedi: What are one or two specific things he changed early on that had a big impact on the team?
@bayer04Xtra: Yeah, first thing was that he changed the formation from the four-at-the-back formation we played under Seoane—and also, I think, under almost all of the previous managers.
That helped stabilize the defense, I’d say, because we were conceding a lot of goals at that point. As I said, we were deep down in the table, in 17th place. I just looked it up—we had conceded 16 goals in eight matches in the Bundesliga, which is obviously way too many.
And yeah, he helped with that. His focus was on not conceding at first. And it showed. The football in the beginning—it really wasn’t nice to watch. It was counter-attacking football, defensive football.
Yeah, another thing he changed, which is interesting, is the mood in the team. That was also really bad when he came in. The situation was very bad for the club, and he tried to get the team chemistry back on.
And what he did—one thing—was that he ordered all the players to attend breakfast every day before training. And they still do this. They still do this right now. I mean, the season’s not over, Xabi’s still the coach for one more game. So they’re still doing this ahead of training sessions—they have breakfast together just to strengthen the team chemistry and the bond in the team.
Mehedi: How would you describe his man management style during his time at Leverkusen?
@MiaSanMiaDFB: Xabi was a players’ coach. They loved playing for him. Oftentimes, you would see clips of Xabi training with the team, and you could just tell how much the players respected him. He took so many players to another level.
It’s no surprise that some of his players—like Frimpong, Tah, and Wirtz—are all looking to take the next step in their respective careers this summer after working under Xabi Alonso. He works extremely well with young players.
Mehedi: What was his relationship like with the media and the fanbase throughout his tenure?
@MiaSanMiaDFB: Xabi Alonso was a class act with the media and the fanbase. He often did interviews in German and was extremely professional and respected by the German media, which can be tough on coaches.
The fans loved him, and he will be dearly missed in Germany. I fully expect him to be very successful at Real Madrid. Fans of Madrid can be very excited about Xabi’s arrival!
