The last week of June 2023, Nasser Al-Khelaifi had on the table of his office in Poissy, 25 kilometers from Paris, a folder with the name of Xabi Alonso. In his first year at the Leverkusen he left the Bayer sixth in the Bundesliga and in the semifinals of the Europa League. Paris Saint-Germain combed the market trying to give stability to a bench through which coaches had passed in five years: Unai Emery, Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino and Christophe Galtier. AND The sophisticated profile of Tolosa's coach caught the attention of the Catarí leader. Finally, the chosen one was Luis Enrique Martínez, who arrived endorsed by Luis Campos, the sports director of the club. The first year of the Asturian in the PSG was that of the explosion of Xabi, which won the League and Cup in Germany and played the Europa League final. Lucho won the titles in France, but stayed in the Champions League semifinals.
Stoic in front of eclectic
Today Al-Khleaifi publicly presumes “the best coach in Europe” and in deprived of “having a great football smell” for having interested in the time for Alonso then. Lucho and Xabi are measured for the first time as technicians in which it must be the first of many games. The 55 -year -old Asturian, deeply respects the Basque, 43. They are two different coach profiles, even if they share many things. Luis Enrique, disciple of “Van Gaal, the coach who has taught me the most tactically,” is defined as “a stoic.” He has a definite style of play and his success will be submitted to the opponent with him. There is no plan B, its high pressure after loss is unnegotiable and defense in the midfield is another of its identity features.
Xabi, on the other hand, is an eclectic who has played at the orders of Guardiola, Mourinho, del Bosque, Luis Aragonés, Carlo Ancelotti, JB Toshack or Rafa Benítez. That has allowed him to forge a game's own idea that stands out for high intensity, a vertiginous rhythm, dynamism and adaptability at all times to what the game asks. It is more pragmatic than Luis Enrique and has no problem to retreat and defend his position without the attack looking for the spaces with their second -line people.
The two have innovated tactically, logistics and technologically. If Luis Enrique surprised in the city of Las Rozas soccer per perpetrated to a scaffold To follow training while ordering the game flow, In the United States Xabi has helped drones to analyze the distance in the collective pressure movements of Real Madrid players from a zenith optics. This allowed him, in addition to recording the session, enjoying a real -time analysis thanks to which he could instantly correct the wrong. Being his first contact with white players, Tolosa was very interested in adjusting that tactical work to change the face of the team and print his stamp. A role of the drones, which in Valdebebas is done with the fixed cameras of the Sports City, while 'Lucho' has changed the scaffold of Las Rozas for a giant screen on the grass in the training field of the PSG Sports City.
Both technicians are obsessive. Luis Enrique speaks individually with each player helped by the giant screen on the grass to review the tactical aspects and individualized information of his encounters also with videos. And there have been cases in which the Asturian has gone to dinner with any of his players such as Vitinha or William Pacho to strengthen his link with them and try to better implement his idea of play in key players in the deployment of the team.
Two background as soccer players
Socceristically, Xabi Alonso and Luis Enrique have faced twice as players. The first, on January 25, 2001, Barça thrashed the Real Sociedad 3-0 at the Camp Nou with Luis Enrique Holder and Xabi, in his sixth game in First, jumping to the field in the absence of 20 minutes by Tayfun. The second, on November 2, 2003, in a three -way draw between Real and Barça where Xabi started and the Asturian entered in the absence of a quarter of an hour through Quaresma.
When training ends, Luis Enrique evade walking barefoot enjoying the 'earthing', Also called 'Grounding', a practice that defends that the use of shoes disconnect from the earth and that direct contact with the surface of the earth produces positive effects on physiology and health, based on the release of electromagnetic loads with the ground.
Xabi Alonso also likes to walk but more than in contact with the ground, with the asphalt. “I have always liked motorcycles. I love the freedom you get in them and before I could not enjoy it. ”Now he does it up to his BMW R100 of 1979 that he sent for six weeks in a premium workshop in which he was modified the suspension, the handlebar, the mirrors, the brakes, the wheels, and the seat, tailored by a specialized company of Ubrique, in Cádiz. Enjoy whenever you can disconnect from football, drones and matches like the one Wednesday will face Luis Enrique.
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