Alonso’s Leverkusen work deserves the focus

I get the caution. There are no guarantees with any appointment, and football has a habit of humbling the cleverest minds. But if we’re talking about Alonso as a coach, we’ve got to talk about the whole body of work at Leverkusen rather than forcing him into a comparison that doesn’t really fit.

For me, lining him up against someone like Ranieri is just a strange way to frame it. Ranieri has been managing forever, across different leagues, different eras, different pressures. That’s not a criticism of Ranieri either, it’s just reality. Alonso, on the other hand, was stepping into his first proper club job and learning on the job in front of everyone.

First job, immediate impact

The starting point matters. Alonso walked into a situation that wasn’t comfortable and, in a short period, dragged Leverkusen from looking over their shoulder into the Europa League places. That alone tells you something about coaching clarity and how quickly players bought into his ideas.

Plenty of smart former players go into management and it takes them years to find their feet. Some never do. The early signs with Alonso were that he could organise a side, lift the mood, and make them feel like a proper team again. That’s not nothing. That’s hard work.

The leap from good to genuinely special

Then came the bit that, to be fair, feels almost ridiculous when you say it out loud: an undefeated domestic season. Not a little run, not a “great few months”. An entire domestic campaign without losing. In a league where Bayern have been the standard setter for years. Even they haven’t managed that in their best seasons.

And if you’re looking at the near misses, it’s worth remembering how fine the margins are. One outstanding performance from Atalanta, and a man-of-the-match display from Lookman, and suddenly the conversation changes from “almost” to “treble”. That’s not making excuses, it’s just acknowledging that finals can swing on moments.

Why the Real Madrid bit doesn’t decide it

People love bringing up Real Madrid as if it’s the ultimate litmus test for a coach. Truth is, it’s a unique job. The pressure is constant, the noise is relentless, and even top managers can get chewed up by the demands of the crowd and the dressing room.

So for me, whatever happened there isn’t the headline. The headline is what he built at Leverkusen in roughly 18 months. You can be wary and still recognise something out of the ordinary when you see it.

Written by OliRed: 28 January 2026