Xabi Alonso this week clocked up exactly one year as coach of Bayer Leverkusen, and his team marked it with a win that keeps them top of their Europa League group.
Leverkusen gambled on the untried former Liverpool midfielder last season after sacking Gerardo Seoane following a 2-0 defeat by Porto in the Champions League. They were 17th in the Bundesliga. They are now top.
And it is not just that Alonso has put them top. The 41-year-old has put himself top. Top of Real Madrid’s wish list as the man to replace Carlo Ancelotti at the end of the season.