Xabi Alonso must learn from mistakes of former…

Xabi Alonso must learn from mistakes of former Liverpool teammate after landing Bayer Leverkusen job

Bayer Leverkusen have confirmed the appointment of Xabi Alonso as their new manager, following the sacking of Gerardo Seaone earlier today.

Leverkusen sit 17th in the 18-team Bundesliga with just one win and five points from their opening eight games, having been thumped 4-0 at Bayern Munich last Friday evening. Seaone’s position has been under threat for some time, but the Swiss was offered one final chance in their Champions League game against Porto last night - which they lost 2-0.

That defeat presented the final straw in a dreadful run of form, with Die Werkself having already spoken to Alonso and able to confirm his appointment swiftly today. The former Liverpool midfielder - who rolled back the years with a vintage performance in the recent Liverpool Legends match against Manchester United - will take charge of his first game against Schalke on Saturday.

Since hanging up his boots in 2017, the 40-year-old has developed his management skills in his native Spain, firstly with Real Madrid’s academy before taking on the job at Real Sociedad B in 2019 - he took the Basque side into the Spanish second division for the first time in 60 years before leaving in May of this year.

Alonso follows in the footsteps of a former Reds teammate in taking charge at Leverkusen, with Sami Hyypia appointed as the German outfit’s manager in 2012. The centre-back left Anfield for the Bundesliga club as a player in 2009, going on to make 60 appearances in all competitions before retiring in 2011.

The Finn moved straight into a dual coaching role with Leverkusen and the Finnish national team, before being named as joint-caretaker coach of the German side in April 2012, and eventually as permanent manager in May of the same year - although, in an unusual dynamic, he shared much of the responsibility with head coach Sascha Lewandowski, including one doing the pre-game press conference and the other fulfilling post-match media duties.

An impressive debut season at the BayArena saw Hyypia guide his team to a third place finish and Champions League qualification, but despite another promising start to his second campaign in charge, a woeful run of form towards the latter stages saw Leverkusen pick up just nine wins from 12 matches and get knocked out of the Champions League in a 6-1 humbling against Paris Saint-Germain - and following a 2-1 defeat to Hamburg, the ex-Reds captain was sacked with immediate effect.

The Finn was appointed as Brighton and Hove Albion boss in 2014 while the Seahulls were in the Championship, but lasted less than six months after leading them into the relegation zone. Stints with FC Zurich and FC Haka followed, but Hyypia has not been involved in coaching since 2020.

And in an exclusive interview with the ECHO in March of this year, the former Red admitted he will think twice before a return to management: "Coaching still interests me, but recently I have seen different managers ageing a lot in one year with the pressure. I don't know if I want to be involved in that. Let's see. I haven't made any final decisions on if I want to come back or don't want to come back. I have enjoyed this time I have had with my kids. In the last five or six years, I have tried to give a lot of time to them. When they move away from home, it is time for me to think about myself."

Whether Alonso will fare better than his former teammate remains to be seen, but the Spaniard is widely regarded as one of the most promising former players to move into coaching. He will also have a strong understanding of the Bundesliga and the German language, having spent three seasons with Bayern Munich, where he played under Pep Guardiola.

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