Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen Repeats Guardiola’s Munich Feat

German Bundesliga club, Bayer Leverkusen under the leadership of coach Xabi Alonso has matched the record set by Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich in the 2015–2016 season with 31 points out of a possible 33 so far this season.

On Sunday, November 12, Bayer Leverkusen returned to the top of the Bundesliga standings after defeating Union Berlin 4-0 at home.

Alex Grimaldo, Jonathan Tah, Odilon Kossounou, and Super Eagles of Nigeria invitee Nathan Tella all scored a goal each to help Leverkusen move up to the top of the table above Bayern Munich.

In all competitions, Leverkusen has won 16 of their 17 games this season, including their previous 12 in a row.

Interestingly, this season has been the club’s best run in their history as Alonso has used the likes of Nigerian striker Victor Boniface to make the German club unbeatable, especially in the Bundesliga.

The former Spain and Liverpool midfielder Alonso, said: “The feeling is great at the moment.

“We have played with a lot of focus and concentration. But there are still a lot of matches and a lot can happen in football and suddenly all expectations are gone.”

When Xabi Alonso became the coach of Bayer Leverkusen in October 2022, Leverkusen were in second place from the bottom of the table after eight games.

At the end of the 2022-2023 season, they finished sixth in the regular season and advanced to the semifinals of the Europa League.

The only managerial experience Alonso had after retiring from competitive football in 2017 was a three-year term coaching gig at Real Sociedad’s B team. But that seems not to matter as he continues to dominate German elite club football so far this season.