Bayer Leverkusen star Jonas Hofmann has shared his thoughts on his former head coach Xabi Alonso, claiming that the now-Real Madrid boss did not meet his expectations as a manager.
Alonso was appointed Real Madrid’s head coach in May following the dismissal of Carlo Ancelotti.
Alonso started his managerial stint at Leverkusen in 2022 and earned well-deserved praise for their historic Bundesliga title win in 2023–24.
While Alonso and Real Madrid are preparing for the upcoming season, it appears that the Spanish manager has not been in everyone’s good books at Leverkusen.
Hofmann recently expressed his opinion of Alosno as a coach, during which he indicated that the 43-year-old may not have had the same equation with all the players of his former squad.
What did Jonas Hofmann say about current Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso?
After making 46 appearances and registering eight goals and 12 assists in 2023-24, Hofmann featured in only 17 matches last season.
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The 33-year-old midfielder stated that there was a lack of ‘open and direct communication’ from Alonso’s side and told Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger,
“I expect a coach to address something directly when he notices something. I expect open and direct communication. A coach shouldn’t wait longer than two weeks for this, because as a coach, I want the players to be in top shape to raise the training level,” as per GOAL.
“There’s always a need for competition, that’s clear. I would have expected a bit more from the coach.”
Hofmann went on to say that he would have considered a move away from Leverkusen if Alonso was still in charge. However, with new manager Erik ten Hag in charge, the German star is looking at the upcoming campaign as a ‘new opportunity.’
“New coach, new opportunity. I’m a Bundesliga kid. I’m fighting my way back. I feel comfortable, but under Xabi Alonso, I probably would have considered a move.”
“Personally, I’m putting last season in a box and don’t want to take it out again. It was very disappointing for me, what happened there and how it played out. That’s not what I’m aiming for.”
Hofmann, whose contract with the Bundesliga club is valid until the summer of 2027, will be hoping to make a place high up in Ten Hag’s pecking order for the 2025/26 season.
Leverkusen are set to kick off the new campaign with their match against SG Sonnenhof Großaspach in the first round of the DFB-Pokal on August 15.
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