From the fluid 3-4-2-1 to the devastating 4-2-4 build-up shape — here's the complete tactical breakdown of Xabi Alonso's history-making system, rebuilt in Football Manager 26.
When Xabi Alonso took over as Bayer Leverkusen boss in October 2022, many fans and pundits were taken aback by the appointment, considering the Spaniard's lack of experience in management for elite sides. However, the decision was justified very quickly: at the time of his arrival, Bayer Leverkusen languished down in the Bundesliga relegation zone, with the players looking demotivated and bereft of ideas.
That season, Xabi Alonso would guide his team safely away from relegation and even reaching a European spot, as Leverkusen finished 6th. Little did they know, they were on the cusp of a legendary campaign... 34 Bundesliga games. 0 defeats. 90 points. An invincible double... that could've been a treble! Here's how Xabi Alonso and his side achieved this...
Flexible Formations
In 23/24, Xabi Alonso set up his side, almost exclusively, in a 3-4-2-1 formation. However, unlike other managers wedded to this formation, Xabi Alonso had a tactical ace up his sleeve... In build-up, his Leverkusen side would actually set up in a 4-2-4 formation; this would consist of one of the wing-backs — typically Jeremie Frimpong — advancing higher into a typical 'winger' position, whilst the other wing-back would drop deeper and one of the wider centre-backs (depending on the side of the advanced wing-back) would move wider into a typical 'full-back' position.
This was the most common build-up set-up from Alonso's Leverkusen: Grimaldo, the left wing-back, drops deeper (green circle) and Kossounou, the right-sided wide centre-back, moves wider into a typical full-back position (orange circle) — this allows Frimpong, the right wing-back, to advance into a typical winger position, forming the 4-2-4 shape previously alluded to. This was elite player profiling from Xabi Alonso, as he recognised that Grimaldo's far superior technically to that of Frimpong, who's better when attacking large spaces in-behind the opposition's defence.
Central Combinations and Penetrating the Middle
Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen were fantastic at attacking through the centre of the pitch, wherefrom they could access their most creative players. A common pattern of this side emerged in this season, and it consisted of the back three and two defensive midfielders patiently circulating possession amongst themselves in their 3-2 base — this would draw the opposition's midfield higher, creating large space between the lines, wherefrom one of them (usually Xhaka or Palacios) would break the lines to find one of the two '10s' dropping into the large space between the lines, as showcased in the diagram below:
Upon receiving the ball between the lines, the '10' can turn and run at the defence, before slipping a runner in-behind or feeding one of the overlapping wing-backs. If the opposition's backline were more aggressive, pushing up and/or going man-to-man, this is where Leverkusen would punish them with associative, quick, short combinations between players like Wirtz, Hofmann, Palacios, and Boniface.
Structured, Disciplined Defensive Set-Up
In the 23/24 Bundesliga campaign, Bayer Leverkusen conceded only 24 goals, which was, by far, the best record in the league that season. Their defensive discipline and structure was at the forefront of their defensive proficiency. When they didn't have the ball, Alonso instructed his 'front five' — the striker, two '10s', and two wing-backs — to be aggressive in closing down the opposition, with the striker and two 10s asked to block all passing lanes into the centre, forcing the opposition out wide wherefrom a wing-back could step up to engage:
This is a great example of how Leverkusen would close down the opposition from their own build-up: Boniface, Wirtz, and Hofmann would form a shield in front of the opposition midfield, forcing the opposition wide — to trigger this, Boniface presses the opposition centre-back on the ball by curving his run to prevent a pass back to the 'keeper, locking off the opposition's right-side and forcing them to progress down the left. Frimpong, the right wing-back, is ready to aggressively close down the opposition's left-back, whilst Kossounou is prepared to come across to mark the opposition's left-winger — the rest of the defence thus move across to form a temporary back-four.
Let's Break Down the Tactic
In Possession
In build-up, Alonso's Leverkusen would retain and circulate possession comfortably out from the back — this started with the 'keeper, who would typically distribute short to the centre-backs. From here, the aim was to draw the opposition higher, creating space either in-behind the opposition's defence or between the lines; a large facet of Leverkusen's game was based around manufacturing artificial counter-attacks.
Upon progressing higher up the pitch, Leverkusen would focus play in central areas as they would always try and supply the '10s' in the half-spaces and/or between the lines, focusing predominantly on manufacturing quick, zipped passing moves between central players. In the final third, Leverkusen were patient in their attacking exploits, working the ball into the box with pace but accuracy in a relatively meticulous manner.
A major part of their game was working the ball into cut-back positions, with low crosses being sent into the penalty area for attackers/the far-side wing-back to attack. In general, Leverkusen emphasised their desire for full control of matches through the utilisation of short passes — although, these were done at a rather quick pace to keep the opposition moving. Finally, upon winning back possession, Leverkusen's players would quickly analyse the game's state before deciding whether to counter-attack or retain possession.
Out of Possession
When Leverkusen didn't have the ball, they would operate from within a compact and narrow high-block, wherefrom they would force the opposition into wide areas. To supplement the high-block and occasional high-press, the defensive line were instructed to hold a higher position — if the opposition were able to break Leverkusen's high-press or regain possession in a potential counter-attacking position, Leverkusen's backline would primarily drop off the opposition's ball-carrier, limiting the player's options to threaten the Leverkusen rearguard. Finally, upon losing possession, Xabi Alonso instructed his side to counter-press immediately to try and regain possession as soon as possible.
Opposition Instructions
Player Roles
Ball-Playing Goalkeeper | Sweeper Keeper
The 'keeper, in this system, was imperative, as he was instructed to move higher in build-up to become the side's extra man against the opposition's high-press. And, when Leverkusen didn't have the ball, the 'keeper was asked to be very active in sweeping up loose balls in-behind the Leverkusen defence and claim any crosses into the penalty area.
Winger | Wing-Back
Jeremie Frimpong was absolutely incredible in the 23/24 season for Leverkusen, becoming a key player for the side in a role that completely suited his skillset. In build-up, he would move higher and wider into a typical winger position — from here, he would hold the side's width on the right side and could regularly attack the space in-behind the opposition's defence, using his extreme pace to burst away from defenders.
Upon receiving the ball, Frimpong would carry the ball forward often, aiming to reach the byline to supply cut-backs or even take on the shot himself if he was closer to goal. In general, his passes were rather short and simple. Finally, when Leverkusen didn't have the ball, both wing-backs were instructed to be aggressive in closing down the opposition whenever possible.
Inside Full-Back | Wide Centre-Back
In this system, the right-sided centre-back — usually Kossounou — would move wider in build-up, occupying a typical 'right-back' position. From here, as Leverkusen progressed up the pitch, he would move back inside to form Leverkusen's back-three in-possession. However, he wasn't tied to a typical 'right centre-back' position when Leverkusen had the ball, as he could drift wider to link with Frimpong and even provide overlapping/underlapping runs.
With the ball at his feet, Kossounou would often carry the ball forward and/or go direct into the centre, providing Leverkusen's central cluster with the ball. Finally, when Leverkusen didn't have the ball and Frimpong would push higher to close down the opposition, both wide centre-backs would move wider to compensate for their wing-back's higher, aggressive positioning.
Centre-Back | Centre-Back
Tah's job, in this system, was simple: retain and recycle possession, whilst predominantly focusing on your defensive duties — hence the simple role and instructions.
Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Wide Centre-Back
In Leverkusen's back-three, Tapsoba was the most progressive and adventurous on the ball, as he would constantly break the lines to find advanced players and would regularly carry the ball forward. Additionally, he would tend to drift wider to form a left-sided triangle with Grimaldo and Xhaka, wherefrom Leverkusen could reliably keep the ball and recycle possession.
Wing-Back | Wing-Back
On the left-side, Grimaldo, initially, would hold a deeper position to form Leverkusen's back-four in build-up; from here, he could use his excellent ball-playing ability to recycle and progress play. However, as Leverkusen progressed higher up the pitch, he would hold the team's width on the left side.
Upon receiving the ball, Grimaldo wasn't afraid to attempt the riskier ball to find a runner in-behind or break the lines to find a central player — he also wasn't afraid to have a go from distance as his excellent ball-striking could be utilised to great effect. Finally, a common pattern you would see from Leverkusen and their left wing-back — Grimaldo or otherwise — was a low, driven ball across the face of goal to find the other wing-back at the back-post for a tap-in.
Box-to-Box Playmaker | Defensive Midfielder
Leverkusen's double-pivot, in this system, were incredibly flexible and dynamic, and could often swap positions. However, there was a clear difference in Xhaka and Palacios' movement: the Argentinian would tend to drift forward when the side had settled possession. Both, however, would constantly break the lines to find one of the 10s dropping off the frontline. Finally, when Leverkusen didn't have the ball, Palacios was incredibly aggressive in the tackle, and wasn't afraid to get stuck in.
Deep-Lying Playmaker | Defensive Midfielder
Whilst Palacios would tend to drift higher, Xhaka was omnipresent in deeper areas, constantly dropping deeper to receive the ball. The Swiss midfielder was the Bundesliga's top initiator of attacks, showcasing his proficiency at breaking the lines to find a creative, attacking player between the lines.
Inside Forward | Attacking Midfielder
Whilst both Hofmann and Wirtz operated in similar, respective areas — such as within the half-spaces — there were clear differences in their movements. On the right, Hofmann could, at times, drop off the frontline to receive the ball between the lines. However, he was more effective on the shoulder of the last defender, attacking space in-behind — the same for Amine Adli, whenever he would feature.
Advanced Playmaker | Attacking Midfielder
Wirtz, on the other hand, was always strategically dropping between the lines to pick up the ball in a threatening position, wherefrom his imagination could run wild and he could paint the most wonderful, splendid, creative pictures. Upon receiving the ball, Wirtz would tend to turn and run at the opposition, threatening to slip a ball in-behind for Hofmann/Adli or Boniface to hunt, supplying the overlapping wing-backs, or even going for goal himself with a ferocious long-shot. Finally, both 10s — and the striker — in this system were aggressive in closing down the opposition.
Target Forward | Centre Forward
Boniface's role, in this system, was incredibly dynamic: he could pin the opposition's defence deeper, accentuating the sheer space Leverkusen had created between the lines — however, he could also slip around the corner and aggressively attack the space in-behind and/or in the channels. It's fair to say he was quite the handful for defenders in 23/24!
Finally, upon receiving the ball, Boniface would primarily link play with a quick, short pass — however, he could also take the ball on the half-turn and slip a team-mate in-behind the opposition's defence.
Results
Bundesliga
In testing with Bayer Leverkusen, we actually perfectly replicated their league season in 23/24, as we matched their record of 28 wins, 6 draws, and 0 losses, amassing 90 points in the process! However, whilst we were unable to match their scoring record of 89 — 75 goals, we scored — we were able to better their defensive record, as we conceded just 18 goals all season!
DFB-Pokal
In the DFB-Pokal, we reached the Final of the competition after beating the likes of Hoffenheim (0-1) and SC Freiburg (2-3) — however, we were left heartbroken as we were defeated 4-2 by Bayern Munich in the Final, ending our dreams of an invincible treble. However, an invincible double was still on the cards...
UEFA Champions League
And we did it! A euphoric, late 1-2 win over Real Madrid in the Final gave Leverkusen their revenge over Los Blancos after the 2002 Champions League Final defeat. On our way to the Final, we overcame Arsenal (3-4 AGG), Frankfurt (2-1 AGG), and Barcelona (3-1 AGG).
Read Also
- FM26 Tactics Hub
- FM26 Best Youth Academies
- FM26 Wonderkids by PA, Price & Position
- FM26 Transfer Budgets
Conclusion
To go unbeaten across an entire league season is incredibly rare. However, to go unbeaten across three different competitions is unprecedented, and, yet, Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen were just one game away from achieving that incredible feat — that just puts the Spaniard's incredible success into perspective! His Leverkusen side were truly immaculate and will go down in history as one of the greatest sides in football history.
If you want a taste of this beautiful tactic, make sure to download the tactic using the link attached to this article and make sure to follow FM Blog (@fmbIog) and myself (@AshtonGgmu) on our respective socials. I hope you have enjoyed this article, and I wish you much success with this tactic on your saves! Thanks for reading!
