The former Bayern player starts as a manager

Pep Guardiola had a good premonition. As early as 2017 he said: Xabi Alonso will “definitely” have a career as a coach. At that time Guardiola was still the head of the Bayern midfielder.

Three years later, Alonso is actually regarded as one of the manager’s greatest talents. The former strategist led Real Sociedad’s second team to the top flight of the Spanish third division in its second year. Until Saturday the San Sebastian team was still unbeaten and leaders, after the 1: 2 against SD Amorebieta is in third place with a recovery from the backhand.

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Alonso, a 114-time Spanish national team player, is expected to lead the reserve of the current first division leader after the fifth in his first season and despite several summer starts in the second division and inspires his players.

Alonso “has not lost talent”

“Xabi Alonso knows a lot about football. He teaches us the game as if he is still playing together. He gives you courage and corrects a lot,” said midfielder Roberto López, praising his former boss. “He hasn’t lost his talent and likes to take part in exercises.”

The 38-year-old coach is not a speaker. He watches what happens on the pitch with caution, gives his instructions calmly and in style and often makes the right decisions – as he did as a player.

At Real Madrid they only called him “Professor” between 2009 and 2014 because he ran the game like a scholar. Even during his time at FC Bayern, the Spaniard impressed the stars from 2014 to 2017. National player Kimmich wowed France Football. “He was really special. His reading of the game was amazing. He always knew what was going to happen before he took the ball. He was the brain of the team.” These are the ideal characteristics of a trainer.

Guardiola is enthusiastic about his protagonists Philipp Lahm and Alonso: “They both have great personalities. They are absolutely exceptional in every respect – as people, as teammates and as footballers. You can’t even imagine it.”

Guardiola, Ancelotti and Benitez as teachers

Now Alonso wants to follow in the footsteps of his former coach. “I wanted to discover Guardiola’s secrets”, the 38-year-old former professional justified his move to FC Bayern in 2014 in an interview Atletico. During his other stints at Liverpool and Real Madrid, the former international also played with Rafael Benitez, José Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti. So Alonso learned from the best.

Alonso passes on this experience in his youth club, where he made his professional debut 18 years ago. Just three years after the end of his active career, the Basque is already back on the fast track to the top.

Alonso is really just a talent developer for the first team in San Sebastian. His team plays on the same system as the pro team to make the transition easier for players. This concept is paying off. In the summer four players were promoted to the first division representation. With López and Martin Zubimendi, two former Alonso proteges are immediately among the best in the surprise team.

Rummenigge: Alonso one for Bavaria

Despite the specifics, the Alonso Reserve also convinces with a signature from the boss. The Daily mail describes how to play with “a certain talent”. What is meant is the approach to act mainly with short steps and many combinations. Alonso did not deviate from his idea after giving up his four best players and started the current season with only 16 players.

This is already attracting a lot of international attention. Bayern boss Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said in the Image-Podcast “Phrasenmöpf”: “I think one day he will be a manager who could be of interest to FC Bayern in the future”. According to Rummenigge, Julian Nagelsmann also wanted to hire the Spaniard as an assistant to RB Leipzig. “I knew Xabi had a request from Leipzig as Nagelsmann’s co-manager,” the boss chatted at a sponsorship event.

Guardiola also wanted to guide his former player to Manchester City as an assistant manager in the summer.

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So the likelihood is pretty high that Alonso will actually follow in Guardiola’s footsteps at one of his former clubs – at Bayern or ManCity.

In San Sebastian, the Spaniard is probably stuck in a dead end on the way up. Imanol Alquacil is the current leader of the La Liga and is firmly in the saddle with the first team.