Xabi Alonso has played four times against Bayern Munich as a player. His balance sheet is balanced. Now he will meet his former club for the first time as a coach. Will he manage to annoy the record champions with Bayer Leverkusen and make the title race in the Bundesliga even more exciting?
After Borussia Dortmund clearly defeated 1. FC Köln, FC Bayern have to follow suit in Leverkusen. A draw would be enough to lead the table. The opponent is trained by none other than Xabi Alonso. The Spaniard, who once played for Munich, had a balanced record as a player against FCB. Here are all four duels he played against the record champions.
FC Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid 2:1 – Season 2011/12
FC Bayern Munich and Real Madrid met in the Champions League semifinals of the 2011/12 season. For real legend Xabi Alonso it was the first direct encounter with Munich – and it shouldn’t be good. The start of the game was quite royal. Madrid dominated the first minute and could have taken the lead through Karim Benzema. Alonso pulled the strings in midfield and fought some hard duels – in the 56th minute he saw a yellow card.
However, Bayern worked their way into the game – and took the lead through Franck Ribéry. Mesut Özil’s equalizer in the second half seemed to seal a performance-based draw. But Mario Gómez had the last word after preliminary work from Philipp Lahm. And so Alonso had to accept defeat in the first game in the Allianz Arena.
Real Madrid vs. FC Bayern Munich 3:4 on penalties – Season 2011/12
In the second leg, Real Madrid started furiously again, but this time they took a 2-0 lead early on. A brace from Cristiano Ronaldo seemed to put the royals on course for the final. FC Bayern swam in the Bernabeu, while Alonso and Co. impressively demonstrated their quality. But Bayern recovered from the weak start. Arjen Robben scored the goal from the point.
Because it remained at 1:2, it went to penalties. There Alonso was faced with a major challenge. After Ronaldo and Kaká missed for his team, Bayern led 2-0. Kroos, however, had forgiven right before the Spaniard’s attempt, giving the midfielder an opportunity to get his team back in the game. Alonso stayed cool, sunk his penalty and increased the pressure on Bayern so much that Philipp Lahm forgave. But because Sergio Ramos didn’t score either, Bastian Schweinsteiger shot Munich into the final Dahoam. Alonso remained the only Madrilenian to complete his task on penalties – but that didn’t save his record against Bayern.
Real Madrid vs. FC Bayern Munich 1:0 – Season 2013/14
The 2010 world champion was able to refresh his record against FC Bayern in the 2013/14 season. Again in the semifinals there was a clash between Real Madrid and Munich. In a fairly uneventful game, Real Madrid was the slightly better team. Against the record champions from Germany, trained by Pep Guardiola, the royals focused on the game against the ball.
Alonso was strong in a duel and was able to initiate one or two dangerous counterattacks. Benzema’s 19th-minute goal gave Madrid victory – and put them in a good position for the second leg.
FC Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid 0:4 – Season 2013/14
There Alonso managed to get his first victory in the Allianz Arena – and what a win it was! Real overran Bayern Munich 4-0. Two corners, two headers from Ramos and it was 2-0. The semifinals were almost over and Bayern fell apart. Another brace, this time from Ronaldo, rounded things off for Madrid.
Pep Guardiola then admitted that he was tempted to change the system. As a result, his team lost control in midfield. Also because Alonso played an outstanding game alongside Modric. It should be the last meeting with Bayern for him. Because from then on he played for Munich himself. So now he will meet his former club for the first time as a coach. Can he pull the balanced balance on his side?
