Nathan Tella and Victor Okoh Boniface won all the German silverware in their debut season under Alonso…
Super Eagles and Bayer 04 Leverkusen attacker, Nathan Temitayo Tella, is confident Xabi Alonso will turn things around at Real Madrid if given the time, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Spaniard worked magic in his first full season at the Bay Arena, ending Bayern's ten-year reign as the Bundesliga Champions.
Alongside, Alonso led Die Werkself to the DFB Pokal and DFL Super Cup wins, just missing out on the UEFA Europa League title due to the brilliance of Atalanta forward, Ademola Lookman.
The former Bayern Munich midfielder led Real Madrid to the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final, where they were thumped by Paris Saint-Germain.
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What Tella said about Xabi Alonso
Despite the early struggles of the 43-year-old, Tella maintains that the Spaniard is a brilliant tactician as well as he is a man-manager.
“Obviously, Alonso is a brilliant manager; there's no surprise. Even last season, before he went to Real Madrid, he got interest from a lot of the big clubs in world football,” Tella said in an interview with Flashscore.
“For him to be a part of the team (Leverkusen) and to have him as our manager, he was able to bring a different side to the game to us”
“We were able to see the game, I especially, I was able to see the game from a different point of view, and to have him working with us, and now he's gone to Real Madrid.
“It's not like we should just forget the things, or I shouldn't forget the things he's taught me, because he's a manager who's world-class.
“He's arguably been the best manager in the past two years. I think some of the stuff he's taught me, not just on the pitch, but also off the pitch, is valuable for my whole life.”
Quizzed if Alonso has what it takes to follow in the footsteps of other great coaches who've taken charge of Los Blancos in the past, Tella said;
“Of course. You know, I think even when he got the job at Leverkusen, I don't think anyone expected him to do what he's done with us.
“He was able to do it, and it got to a point where I don't think he was even surprised, because you get to a point where you know how good you are.”
“He has achieved things in a very humble way, but he knew what he was doing was working, and we were able to keep doing it.
“So, I wouldn't say that he's going to struggle at Real Madrid. If anything, I think he'll get even better than how he was with us,” the former Southampton winger concluded.
Tella is currently in Brazil with his Bayer teammates as they get their pre-season sessions underway under their new manager, Erik Ten Hag.
