sport news Xabi Alonso has transformed Bayer Leverkusen after taking over a club in ... trends now
Xabi Alonso's appointment at Bayer Leverkusen at the start of October raised a few eyebrows.
With the team second-bottom of the Bundesliga after a dreadful start to the season, it would have been easy to pick an experienced head coach to replace Gerardo Seoane, but Leverkusen opted to take a gamble and went with Alonso.
The former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder had never managed in the top-flight in any country before, but he got off to a flying start as he guided his side to a 4-0 win over Schalke in his first game, and he hasn't looked back.
Xabi Alonso has made a flying start since being appointed Bayer Leverkusen boss in October
Having won four straight league matches after the World Cup, Alonso's men have moved up to ninth place and now have genuine aspirations of finishing in the European spots.
It has been an impressive turnaround, and one that Alonso deserves immense credit for.
But how has he done it? Sportsmail takes a look at how the 41-year-old has transformed Leverkusen's fortunes, taking them from relegation contenders to the in-form side in Germany's top division.
Adjusting to the team's needsAlonso was widely regarded as one of the finest passers of his generation, and having been part of arguably the greatest international team ever - winning three consecutive tournaments with Spain - many would expect him to want to adopt a possession-based game-plan.
Yet that is not always easy when taking over a struggling team who have become accustomed to losing, and Alonso quickly realised that.
He has needed to go against his natural instincts to dominate the ball, instead focusing on making his side tough to break down.
Alonso has made Leverkusen tough to break down, and they have won seven games on the trot
Alonso has largely utilised a 3-4-3 formation, ensuring that his team is compact without the ball, and it has paid dividends.
There have been setbacks, most notably Leverkusen's 5-1 hammering at Eintracht Frankfurt in his second league game in charge, but the team have gradually found their feet as a defensive unit.
Three clean sheets in their last five matches shows clear progress, with Leverkusen sitting deep and then hitting their opponents on the counter-attack.
This may not be a long-term strategy for Alonso and Leverkusen, but he has quickly recognised the limitations of his team, and has adapted well thus far.
Keeping training secretSome managers don't mind having their work seen by the public, but Alonso is keen to keep things under wraps.
Ahead of Leverkusen's return to action against Borussia Monchengladbach following the winter break, he ensured that there were no open sessions for the media and public to see for the final four days before the match.
It has also been reported that he has called for a three-metre high viewing platform to be closed off, meaning that no one can see what his side are working on.
Alonso has looked to keep training sessions as private as possible at Leverkusen
Alonso is still in the infancy of his managerial career, and clearly wants to get his ideas across without being in the media spotlight.
His approach is working so far, with Leverkusen winning both of
