Xabi Alonso has now played 50 Bundesliga games for Bayer Leverkusen, but how does his record compare to Jurgen Klopp’s first 50 Premier League games with Liverpool?
Since taking over at Leverkusen, the Spaniard has done an outstanding job, leading the club from relegation to the top of the Bundesliga.
As things stand, Alonso’s side leads the table by ten points, and with only ten games remaining, they are suddenly hot favourites to win the title.
Along with their excellent league form, Leverkusen has a strong chance of winning the DFB-Pokal and the Europa League.
In many ways, Alonso’s early career parallels Klopp’s. The last time a team other than Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga was Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund in 2011-12, and Alonso has the opportunity to upset the applecart himself.
Given Alonso’s fast rise to prominence, Liverpool are now vying for the 42-year-old’s services to succeed Klopp in the summer.
Even Klopp has praised the Spaniard’s efforts at Bayer Leverkusen.
“Xabi is doing an incredible job,” Klopp told journalists. “The next generation has already here, and I believe Xabi stands out in that regard.
“[He is a] former world-class player who comes from a coaching family, which helps; he was already a coach while playing. The football he plays, the teams he forms, and the transfers he makes are all extraordinary.
When comparing Alonso’s first 50 Bundesliga matches to Klopp’s first 50 Premier League matches, it is evident how well Alonso has performed in Germany.
Since the 42-year-old took control, Bayer Leverkusen has averaged 2.18 points per Bundesliga game. That equates to 74 points throughout the course of the campaign.
Scoring goals has not been an issue for Alonso’s team, which has averaged 2.18 goals per game since his arrival. On the other end of the pitch, they have only allowed 0.98 goals per game.
If Leverkusen can go unbeaten in their next ten games, they will become the first team in Bundesliga history to go the full season unblemished.
The underlying statistics underpinning Alonso’s reign are really excellent, particularly when contrasted to Klopp’s first 50 Premier League games with Liverpool.
Xabi Alonso’s first 50 Bundesliga matches
Games: 50.
Won: 33
Drawn: Ten.
Lost: 7
Goals scored: 109.
Goals conceded: 49.
Points per game: 2.18
