There’s no point in going around it. something more was expected from European Thursday. Something more than a hard-fought victory for Fiorentina, which leaves everything open in view of the second leg semi-final. Perhaps there was some more hope for Atalanta too, although Gasperini’s men emerged unscathed from the Marseille Velodrome. Roma did poorly, never really playing against Bayer Leverkusen. despite some good opportunities. The superiority of the Teutonic people became evident. And this cannot help but make you think and lead you to ask yourself a question: What is the secret of Xabi Alonso’s team?
Players chosen to apply and make concrete an idea of cast, not too complex or complicated. A system that demonstrates how the coach certainly matters, but, in the end, he only has one task: valorise those who have access to it. The latter, however, must be functional to his dogmas and his thoughts. Something that, basically, may seem almost normal and logical. Something which, however, in Italy, does not find all these confirmations in reality. Very often we think that it is the coaches who have to adapt 100% or vice versa that it is the players who have to do it. Other times coaches are treated like gurus capable of turning water into wine, or vice versa as literally useless figures, because only who takes the field matters. In short, we should really take an example from Bayer Leverkusen and by what the Germans have done this season.
On the other hand, if a team considered Germany’s underdog has become unbeatable, there can’t be anything but the hand of those sitting on the bench. Xabi Alonso has created a perfect car: vertical football, ball possession to open spaces, defensive line that easily switches from 3 to 4, wingers projected into attack. Few ideas, but intelligent. What made the difference, however, was above all his ability to communicate. Because, in today’s football, clarity counts. In fact, it is not enough to have principles in your head, but you need to know how to explain them to your club and then transfer them to your players. Therefore, a perfect mechanism. And sometimes copying and taking inspiration is not an admission of guilt, but a demonstration of the desire to grow. And not to stop at the door of Paradise just to look.