The Perfect 10: Why Florian Wirtz is Xabi Alonso’s cheat code for high-flying Bayer Leverkusen

For this analysis, I’ll be focusing on why the sublime Florian Wirtz is so key to Xabi Alonso’s undefeated Bayer Leverkusen, as the exceptionally gifted playmaker marked his 100th Bundesliga game in style with an outstanding performance vs. Mainz, where his movement especially stood out. Interestingly, At 20 years, nine months and 21 days of age, he became the fourth-youngest player in history to reach a century of Bundesliga appearances.

The match was also notable due to Xabi Alonso’s remarkable team setting a new Bundesliga record, as they extended their unbeaten streak to 33 games in all competitions this season (29 wins) to surpass Hansi Flick’s Bayern team of 2020 and 2021. Alonso has also now incredibly won 31 of his 49 Bundesliga games as Leverkusen head coach.

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About: Licence to Roam is a football channel providing insight into the on-field aspects of the beautiful game, so expect to see content related to tactics and analysis.

I’m (Edward Stratmann) a freelance football writer and journalist who writes about the on-field aspects of the game, specialising and focusing on tactics and analysis. I’ve been involved in the sport for over a decade and worked with a host of prestigious clubs, organisations and publications such as Arsenal’s Official Website, Everton’s Official Website, AS Roma’s Official Website, Swansea’s Official Website, Wyscout, Goal, Bundesliga’s Official Website, Liverpool Echo, Fox Sports, The Professional Football Scouts Association (PFSA), Monaco Tribune, FourFourTwo, Yahoo Sports UK, Unibet, Tifo Football, the Football Federation of Australia and many more.

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Hi everyone welcome to my channel licens to roome where I’ll be providing content on football tactics and Analysis on European football and the Beautiful game from across the globe you can follow me on Twitter SLX Edward stratman and if you enjoy the video would really appreciate a like subscribe and any

Comments as I get started and hope to grow the channel right for this analysis I’ll be focusing on why the sublime floran verts is so key to jabby Alonzo is undefeated by lusen is the exceptionally gifted playmaker marked his 100th Bundesliga gaming Style with an standing performance versus mins

Where his movement especially stood out interestingly at 20 years old 9 months and 21 days of age he is a fourth youngest player in history to reach a century of Bundesliga appearances the match was also notable due to Alonzo’s remarkable team setting a new Bundesliga record as they extended their unbeaten

Streak to 33 games in all competitions this season to surpass hansy Flick’s Bayern team of 2020 and 2021 also Alonzo now has incredibly won 31 of his 49 bundes Lea games as lcus and head coach as per the bundesliga’s official website on that one all right on to the analysis

And this is the base formations from each team as a tactically sophisticated Alonzo’s expertly coach team morph between a back three and a back four in possession in true style within their fluid system that’s full of asymmetry rotations and interesting staggering to continually ask questions of their opponents obviously vers thrived again

From his free attacking Midfield birth and as you can see in the first graphic here lus the building up in a foreit he smartly drops deep to form the 3v2 and he can be found between the lines and due to his scanning he knows that he can turn also notice his teamates pinning

Markers they don’t want to step out to him and leave another marker like adley or Hoffman free so B smartly Ducks into the space there to avoid detection to form that overload and then ensure B lausin can progress the attack smoothly another situation here we were so good at identifying and recognize the

Openings and obviously his team are so aware of that all on the same page he’s a real leader and he demands the ball in these situations to form the overload be the free man interesting one in this situation frong and Hoffman have actually rotated just to cause a little

Bit of Havoc he knows all these little things like that and he takes full advantage of any weaknesses see ver here just a master at dropping to support the buildup in this situation providing the 4 V3 gives his team such a great solution to get up the pitch and

Obviously he’s scanning he’s looking what’s going on around him so he has that constantly updated mental imagery of what’s happening around him teammates Defenders and the space so he can just go ahead there and wreak havoc another situation where he’s just so valuable that game IQ the intelligent overloads

Forming just to be that free man just to drive those attacks forward and just to be that outlet as he notices mines have pretty much locked up every other option due to the freedom and the positional n he has and he knows when Defenders are pinned by his teammates and he smartly

Identifies that and just darts into the space there to really breathe life into that attack as well another situation there he’s just dropped off everyone’s unsure whether to follow him or not cuz I don’t don’t want to leave another lusin player free and he starts into

That space there to be the free man and lusin are once again Off to the Races in this move another nice passage where he’s smartly free between the lines he’s noticed Hoffman’s drawn two markers he gets free so he can either instantly turn and face feed adley or he can

Complete the third man combination with frong out wide there just another way that his worth was elevated here such a tactically intelligent player and so aware and awake to spaces and his surroundings obviously with the attackers often getting in close proximity it was really conducive for some fast combination play this was a

Great situation here where Hoffman and adley all combined nicely and obviously off to the left Galo is completely free as he’s drawn Marcus there vers drawn the wide Defender inwards and interesting this one he obviously can receive the ball in a forward- facing posture immediately add momentum into

The attack and then just use his Wizardry on the ball to do whatever so find space for himself make space for others and is always just on hand to connect attacks and to really add that momentum into them another situation here with that close combination play as

A little bit of an up back through and his darts in behind were also a great feature of his play where he’s just one step ahead of everything reading the play got the jump on his markers there ready to be that man in behind to unlock the defense and generate a quality

Opening another situation here where he runs in behind sort of created some nice openings for his team where he sort of created that overload Hoffman can receive between the lines ad ley’s pinning the markers they’re facing him and ver sees that he can just Dart in behind down the channel there and

Obviously Jacker on the ball has multiple options just like lausan do so well always doing triangles and always creating triangles great connections to progress the attack and then obviously that helps them when they lose the ball for counter pressing situations too but it just another example of verts and his

Intelligence to impact the game while supporting his teammates obviously just that reading of the play how it holds him in good stead in many situations and this one where grimaldo’s offered the outlet the wing back/ fullback depending on the shape vers has shifted across to

Help him with that nod down and then he can receive forward facing in a great position to really cause some problems and create some danger obviously that relationship with Grimaldo and frong the wing backs was just such a feature of this game too as it usually is in this

Situation vers has peeled wide it’s allowed galdo to indent come INF field and he can receive that ball he’s scanning he knows he can take his first touch knowing that ad Le’s pinning markers and he’s dynamically occupying the space and in a forward-facing posture so he can immediately get on his

Bike and put pressure on that backline retreating and back pedaling it’s another situation with vers and galdo super well timed this passage here vers peeled wide gado immediately knew to duck in field vers gets on the end of the third man combination and gato’s in a really great position undetected by

Defenders to receive a ball in behind sort of just to create that 2V1 as well which further compounds issues and just the way they’re so aware of each other’s Tendencies and the strategy Alonzo’s imposed is just a joy to watch another Testament to their relationship was this interchange here where galo’s completely

Free at the edge of the Box vers obviously done The Interchange and he’s a fine option for The Blindside run he’s got the jump on his marker there so the ball holder has so many options and the mind’s backline so focused on the ball and just protecting that Central Area

They’ve collapsed deep and there’s just a host of options for Hoffman there to pick out another smart bit of rotation here obviously it’s a triple lay rotation with adley peeling wide vers taking the Striking role and Galo taking vers as attacking Midfield role so just the depth of quality and clarity as they

Understand Alonzo’s demand so well to just make life so difficult for opponents to know who to track to alter reference points it’s just a nightmare they’re never in a pattern or a rhythm to stop lusion and this is a fine example of how well they execute their manager’s plan it obviously wasn’t just

GM that vers Dov Tower with it was also Fring pong and here’s their nice interchange and then obviously FR pong’s a nice Outlet in the Box vers can receive in wider areas less populated where he can have that little bit of extra time and space to do what he does

Best on the dribble and with his creative passing another situation here he just peels wide in that half space gives tar a free passing option The Defenders don’t want to leave frong due to his pacing behind so ver is in acres of space there to decide what he wants

To do with it so the vers just continually just found space exploited weaknesses and was just a really Key Driving Force for lusin in this one another situation here where he’s just rotated nicely when adley’s dropped deep and he’s filled that Central forward space to provide depth to the attack and

Make a smart run in behind just another string to his bow obviously impacts games either side of the backline and wide centrally in the half spaces just a super smart player obviously there’s his heat map showing he did a little bit of everything showing that he popped up

Everywhere and obviously that area was where he did most of his damage sort of between the lines and working in tandem with galdo especially but obviously he wasn’t restricted solely so that it was just such a multifaceted Game and his positioning and awareness and movement really came to the four there’s his

Average positioning there nice and high always ready to impact attacks and give his team an outlet and obviously to combine with others just to make them such a force to be reckoned with as they have been throughout the season and in this game even though it wasn’t their

Best performance of the Year where they sort of rode their luck on occasion but BS was just so impressive again as usual and there’s just the connections map showing that he had that great connection with galdo especially where they really Linked UP really nicely and obviously Hoffman as well and frong and

Adley to an extent too and Jacka too they just really nicely operated well spaced well staggered and just great positioning to get the best out of each other in a lot of occasions especially going forward in this one obviously that’s the end of the analysis if you enjoyed this video please like And

Subscribe and leave a comment would really appreciate it thank you again for taking the time to watch the video and have a great day stay tuned for the next analysis