How Xabi Alonso's Tactic is Destroying Bundesliga!

This story is about a man who rescued a club from the jaws of relegation and led them all the way to the semi-finals of the Europa League. Once a student under the legends like Carlo and Pep Guardiola, he's now on the verge of becoming the next Madrid manager. And that man is none other than Xabi Alonso. From zig-zag patterns to wide diamonds, Alonso's tactics has turned Leverkusen into one of Europe's deadliest ticket-taker sides. And in just six months, he's rocketed them from a dismal 17th place to an impressive 6th place finish. So what was the tactic behind Alonso's rapid rise and why is he the perfect fit to take over at Real Madrid? Let's discuss in this video. Before Xabi's arrival, Bayern had a real problem of giving away too many goals on counter-attacks and they had an unbalanced defense which was too easy to unlock. So to solve this, Alonso quickly changed the structure from their usual 4-2-3-1 into a 3-4-3 setup. With this setup, Alonso smartly divides his team's responsibilities as five players focus on defense while the other five concentrate on attacking. This helped them to overload more players in attack while also quickly transforming into a five-man defense when needed. This makes the team hard to break down and brings a perfect balance to their play. And the results speak for themselves as Alonso cut down the team's average goals conceded per game from 2 to just 1.4. He's also shifted them from a defensive low block to a more aggressive high-pressing team. But during possession the setup transitions into a 4-2-4 structure where the left back drops back to create a four-man defense while the right back moves up to join the attacking trio. By adopting this setup provides an overall balance on either sides as four players stays advanced and prevents the opponent from pressing with a high defensive line which makes it easier for the back four to move the ball. So in the build-up phase the team uses a 4-2-4 structure where they create several triangular patterns in order to beat the opponent's press. And these patterns are often known as the third-man combination which is a fundamental component of Xabi's style of play in which two players engage in a quick exchange of passes that draws the markers towards them thereby creating space for a third player to be free and receive the ball. So this results in a 1-2-3 pattern freeing up the third player. And Alonso has masterfully implemented this tactic to smoothly progress the ball centrally by employing a concept what they call the zigzag progression. In this progression the left center mid Granit Xhaka drops deeper to receive the ball from the center back and initiates a direct pass to the right center mid Palacios which frees up space for the number 10 to drop and be the third man who then pass it to his partner making him the fourth man. So this way they quickly able to advance the ball into the final third and disrupt the opposition structure. And if the opposition defense is too rigid centrally Alonso's Bayer then create a wide diamond patterns where the wide center backs move forward the number 10s drift wide creating a diamond-like shape. This formation allows Leverkusen to continue executing their third-man combinations in the wider areas which facilitates smooth ball movement into the final third. As the team advances into the final third the shape turns into a 3-2-5 structure. So this creates numerical overloads from all corners. Also the players close proximity to each other enables them to quickly regain possession activating a fast counter pressing strategy. When it comes to defending the team quickly transitions from a 3-2-5 to a 5-2-2-1 setup. And when they press the team employs a 3-plus-2 shape where the front three and the two central mids apply pressure on the opponent's buildup and blocks all the central passing lanes. And when the opposition moves the ball wide the Alonso's wing backs immediately starts running to press the opposition fullbacks. So this way Alonso blocks all the passing lanes for the oppositions to get through and increase the chances of winning the ball higher up the pitch. Alonso's team also earned a reputation as one of Europe's most lethal counter-attacking teams as they have an ability to quickly overload the players into the open spaces and provide accurate passes to them from back. And it's usually the number 10s and the right back who use their quick pace to run into these spaces and create numerical superiority against the opposition back line which creates prime scoring chances either for themselves or for the striker. In the player roles rather than incorporating a stable back three Xabi gives both his wide center backs freedom to move forward to form the base of his wide diamond during buildups. While Frimpong the right back usually acts as a shadow right winger rather than a fullback as he is moved a bit higher than the left one as well as he interchanges position with the number 10s. And rather than wingers Xabi employs two number 10s who stays narrow and allow the wing backs to take the wide positions. They usually form a box patterns with the center mids which allows the center mids to interchange positions with them and create numerical overloads centrally. And they are also exceptional in making runs into open spaces to break the opposition back line. And up front Xabi has a target man striker named Bonifaz who excels in aerial duels and has the physical strength to capitalize on scoring chances. While every tactical system has its vulnerabilities one notable weakness in Alonso's approach occurs when the team loses the ball high up the pitch and attempts to counter press. If the opposition successfully breaks through this press it opens up a wealth of space on the wider areas. With both fullbacks positioned high up the field covering these spaces becomes a challenge. And even if the center mids covers the flanks this could weaken the team's central structure and opens up opportunities for the opposition to exploit centrally. So the system relies heavily on precise timing and coordination between the fullbacks. A slight delay or miscommunication can lead to defensive gaps. But overall Xabi Alonso does have the tactical brilliance to excel as Madrid's manager. Leveraging strategies like third man plays and central progressions he's perfectly poised to unlock Madrid's midfield talents and solve their scoring issues. But what if I tell you there's a manager who don't even use wide fullbacks in his structure? And with the use of double diamond and invite the press strategy he has broken all traditional patterns and invented a new way to attack. So who is he and what makes his tactics so innovative? Let's find out by clicking this video.