Leverkusen have made a big progress since Xabi Alonso arrived at the team. They were strolling around the relegation area before he came. People were wondering how successful Xabi Alonso could be. Because he was an inexperienced manager as you know. This was going to be his first proper manager experience and he started with a pretty decent team like Leverkusen.
He came here to take a big responsibility to save this team from the threat of relegation. But he dealt with this situation pretty well. He didn't just make do with making the team get away from the relegation area. They even secured a spot for the Europa League by finishing as the 6th.
The board must be loving him now. However I'm pretty sure next season's target will be top 4. As Xabi Alonso will be in control as of the beginning of a season this time, I think he can do this tough work also.
I must admit, Xabi Alonso deserves credit for stirring a sea change at Leverkusen, hauling it from near-collapse to a Europa League spot - an exceptional rookie feat, right? Yet, its hard to forget our initial goal of a top 3 finish under Gerardo Soene. The bitter pill is that the season's first half was a catastrophe - we were flirting with relegation!
Alonso introduced a refreshing approach and strategy, making center-backs key to offense initiation and boosting ball possession. Still, the subtleties matter. Can we maintain this climb? Is the top 4 spot within our reach next season?