Xabi Alonso Was So Slow, He Became UNPRESSABLE

remember Spain's golden generation from 2008 to 2012 well amongst their midfielders you'll often hear about how players like Javi and Iniesta dominated and leather country is one of the greatest midfielders of all time but when you look just a little bit further behind them there was another midfielder who was just as equally important even though he often flew under the radar just because he didn't have as much opportunity to handle the ball but make no mistake chubby Alonso is a true Maestro of the game although his touches may have been fewer their impact was seismic Alonso dictated the tempo of the game wherever he went Benny the Matched to his will and forcing the game to be played at his Pace because despite being one of if not the slowest midfielders we ever seen chubby Alonso is still one of the most unpressible Playmakers of all time standing as a solid rock first Squad as both a shield and away we're gonna look at chaby alonso's career and remind you all of how great he really was chubby Alonso is one of the young prodigies that came from elite football Heritage his father Perico Alonso played for both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid which in his generation was some of the highest level of football in the world chabi Alonso got to witness professionals play and train for his entire childhood and over the years would pick up on the slightest nuances and techniques of the game seeing world-class football was etched into his brain almost every day for as long as he could remember and as chubby Alonso grew up he realized the most beautiful position for him to play in which he could slow down the game analyze the pitch and distribute to make the biggest difference was no other than the defensive Midfield position as young as eight years old chubby Alonso enough to earn a first team debut at 18 years old because watching Alonso though he was the slowest guy on the pitch his Aura was completely different from most pros at his age chubby Alonso possessed an extra strategically to receive or intercept the ball which enabled him to find the slightest pockets of space on the pitch evading the pressure from opposing players and finding the perfect Outlet or pass his first touch was also a thing of beauty he had The Uncanny ability to receive the ball under pressure and to instantly bring it under his control whether it was a high ball or a driven pass he could stop and control the ball in an instant allowing him to execute accurate and Swift passes even in the tightest of spaces this exceptional touch control and technique meant that opponents struggled to dispossess him effectively as Joby Alonso at one point of his career averaged 0.6 dispossessions per game meaning that on average jabi Alonso wouldn't even lose the ball a single time during a match making him one of the highest ball retaining midfielders of all time along with names like Javi andiesta bisquettes and Luca Modric but this was also because alonso's exposure under pressure was unparalleled even when surrounded by the opposition he remain remained calm and collected he had the ability to assess his options incredibly quickly then choose the most effective course of action whether it was to retain possession or initiate an attacking move making quick and efficient decisions with just a single touch this composure allowed him to maintain control the game and to frustrate opposing players attempting to press him like don't you ever just wonder what these Pros are seeing when they're on the pitch often times they have better Vision than even us fans who are watching the game from an elevated point of view making passes that we couldn't even see coming but anyways another huge factor that made Alonso so unpressible was his off-ball movement in position something he did incredibly well even among some of the all-time defensive midfielders though his Pace was lacking Alonso was always on the maids to pass him his intelligent movement and ability to finally made him a constant outlet and a nightmare for opponents to try to press him effectively as he would always be there to come to the rescue when his teammates needed it simply because of his movement and once he did get the ball he could finally show what we all know him for his insane long-range Vision in passing all he needed was a single touch and he could spray accurate long-range passes to switch play or find teammates for the attack all with pinpoint accuracy a simple one-touch pass in a high pressure situation for chabi Alonso created some of the most aggressive counter-attacks in goal scoring opportunities the way that he would distribute the ball with pinpoint accuracy or in some cases even dictate to the striker where he believes is the best spot to send it for the highest chance of scoring and for this ability I think Steven Gerrard says it best [Music] with the best ever there was a different noise there was a different technique the ball used to spin a certain way and it used to come into your feet at a different speed than a normal pass Jerry used to give you an extra one two maybe three seconds on the ball it's 2003 2004 season with real sociedad was when he really broke out as a world-class player he would be named the 2003 Spanish Player of the Year as a 22 year old even amongst all the other great Spanish footballers of his generation as he would help his historically mid-table La Liga team qualify for a Champions League spot and would gain massive attention for his incredible passing that his overall game especially on the defensive side would improve significantly his positioning and spatial awareness already made him incredibly good but he would become more physical and aggressive as he played English football in fact in his first year with Liverpool chubby Lonzo played a huge factor in one of the most iconic Champions League finals of all time the Miracle of Istanbul Liverpool were down three nil to AC Milan at the half but would make a historic comeback with jabilonzo playing a huge factor in breaking down Milan's defense and he even scored the third equalizing goal to eventually win the match in penalties and probably his best year in Liverpool came in the 2008-2009 season which I'd like to call the season that made Real Madrid want to sign him Alonso was probably the most important player in Liverpool's close second place finish to the Premier League title he carried the team not in the stat sheets but with way he controlled the Midfield and also scored some absolute bangers as well because it would take Liverpool nearly a decade to come back into decent form after Alonso left and Steven Gerrard himself said losing Alonzo was devastating for the club also interestingly That season chabi Alonso also became the first premier league player to ever complete a thousand passes in a single season it's just crazy how accurate chubby Alonso at Bayern was incredible so much so that three years was all the time needed for chabby Alonso to be considered a legend of the club that just gives you an idea of how loved he was and how well he played for the club he would produce more goals in his three years of Bayern than in his five years with Rob dread showing you that as he got older his Pace still never mattered to Hell brilliant on the Midfield he was winning three back-to-back Bundesliga titles one German cup and one German super cop during his time at the club but of course chubby is also an absolutely important part of one of football's strongest International dynasties of all time like I mentioned at 22 years old Shelby Alonso also won the Spanish footballer of the Year award showing you that even compared to those all-time great midfielders he was still one of the very best he played nearly every match of the 2008 Euros where they won their first of three major International titles and of course in the 2010 World Cup chubby Alonso was a solidified starter for the entire higher tournament as Spain heavily needed his defensive and intelligent decision-making presence on the pitch plus the guy was a tank for Spain because what the Spanish Midfield made of foreign skill they lacked in physicality and positioning something chubby Alonso fixed almost single-handedly the guy refused to stop battling even after getting straight football cleats to the chest Kung Fu style he was truly a rock in the Midfield and of course in 2012 which was around Chavi alonso's physical prime Spain just destroyed everyone on their way to their third consecutive major international title jabi Alonso would retire after the 2016-2017 season with one of the most decorated careers in football when a major silverware in every League he played two European titles and one World Cup trophy and now he manages Bayern Leverkusen who aren't doing too well but I do think that he has the potential to become a great coaching mind just gotta give him a little more time so in football whenever you think of slow but deadly I'm hoping chubby Alonso is one of the first players that pop up in your mind the man is truly a Midfield in great and one of my most favorite Center defensive mids of all time but that's all for now I appreciate all of you who stayed till the end a like would really mean the world and is the best way to support the channel and lastly let me know what video you want me to make next foreign

Channel: Raymar Football

Views: 887,906

Keywords: soccer, football, sidemen soccer, daily dose of football, sidemen, sidemen tinder, sidemen football, ksi, ksi football, ksi soccer, oh my goal, nonstop sports, football iconic, HITC sevens, tifo, premier league, soccer stories, Ronaldo fenomeno, r9 goals, Ronaldo goals, cr7 goals, cr7, cristiano ronaldo, defender, zlatan, thierry henry, messi goals, rivaldo, maradona, messi, lionel messi, GOAT, xabi alonso, Alonso assists, Alonso goals, bayern, spain, Xabi Alonso skills, Xabi Alonso

Id: iKysQDbAIwg

Length: 9min 14sec (554 seconds)

Published: Sat May 27 2023