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May 31, 2019 · Estadio Metropolitano will host the showpiece between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur and, ahead of the game, Alonso sat down with us to discuss the development of Jürgen Klopp’s team, how he expects the final to unfold, what it means to win the European Cup with the Reds and much more…
To celebrate the Reds' 130th anniversary, we continue looking at the best goal ever scored by the Reds, including strikes from Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso & ...
- 3 min
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- Liverpool FC
Jan 29, 2024 · Xabi Alonso has emerged as hot favourite to become the next Liverpool manager following Jurgen Klopp's shock decision to leave the club at the end of the season.
He moved to Liverpool in August 2004 for £ 10.5 million and won the UEFA Champions League in his first season, under manager Rafael Benítez, scoring the equalising goal in the Final against Milan. The following season, he won the FA Cup and the FA Community Shield .
- Overview
- What would Liverpool under Alonso look like?
- Compactness key to nullifying Bayern
- The wing-back role of Grimaldo
- How short passing entice opponents
- Wirtz as the false No 9
- Would Alonso's brand of football be successful at Anfield?
- View from Germany: What makes Alonso so special?
Jamie Carragher provided a tactical breakdown of how Xabi Alonso masterminded a resounding 3-0 victory over Bayern Munich to cement Bayer Leverkusen's place at the Bundesliga summit - and rubberstamp his own credentials as a future Liverpool manager...
There's a great chance that Xabi Alonso is going to be the next Liverpool manager.
He seems the standout favourite, and when you think of the great managers and where they start, a lot of them do something pretty remarkable at a slightly lower level perhaps.
When you think of what Jose [Mourinho] did at Porto, winning the Champions League and Jurgen Klopp winning two Bundesliga titles with Borussia Dortmund.
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Jamie Redknapp believes Bayer Leverkusen's Xabi Alonso should replace Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager at the end of this season
•Key questions as Klopp announces Liverpool exit
•Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 Bayern Munich - Match report and highlights
•Liverpool fixtures | Results
•Stream Sky Sports with NOW | Get Sky Sports
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Highlights as Bayer Leverkusen defeat rivals Bayern Munich 3-0 to remain unbeaten and move five points clear at the top of the Bundesliga
Almost every team now plays and sets up differently with and without the ball. The back five play a couple of passes and it becomes a back four. A big reason for this is that they've got a wing-back in [Alex] Grimaldo who continually from his position steps into midfield.
We see that in the Premier League with [Oleksandr] Zinchenko and [Trent] Alexander-Arnold where full-backs go into midfield, but they play the deeper role. They come inside like a sitting midfield player.
But he's almost like an attacking midfielder. When Wirtz bursts through the middle, you can see his options which include the wing-back. You can see Grimaldo on one side and both Amine Adli and Nathan Tella on the other making runs. In this example, Adli should have put them 1-0 in front, but it summed the game up.
Bayern's reaction to the subsequent throw-in summed them up. It was awful. It didn't just happen with the throw-in but it also happens with the man at the back post.
They actually do get out, but they've got to go back. They very rarely penetrated Leverkusen right throughout the game. On several occasions, Eric Dier was forced to play long towards the wide areas but a big part of this Xabi Alonso team are short passes that entice people in.
With two or three, you see the Bayern Munich team get dragged across. It's a big part of where the game is going in modern football. So many teams now make short passes to entice people on to see if they can break through the lines or if they can switch play.
Tella is found at the back post and on the rebound, Wirtz almost makes it 2-0. I want to highlight again the role of Wirtz. He's a young man who is starting to get into that Germany squad.
He's the flair player and the big name of this team. His role in this game was to play behind the two No 6s for Bayern as Leverkusen normally play with a striker. Eric Dier has gone in tight on him. Again, it is about enticing players in. It leads to Bayer having a two-v-two situation.
Min-jae Kim and Dayot Upamecano are left exposed. The ball is worked wide to Grimaldo, who has his left-sided centre-back [Hincapie] now bombing on his outside. Because he has that option to his left, Grimaldo can make the run inside.
It's completely different to what we see from other full-backs or wing-backs when they go into midfield, and he finishes it off with a great finish. The third goal is also from a wing-back as [Jeremie] Frimpong comes on but that was from a corner-kick where Manuel Neuer had gone up.
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Jeremie Frimpong confirmed a historic Bayer Leverkusen victory against Bayern Munich on Sunday, but Xabi Alonso appeared remarkably calm in a bouncing BayArena
For Bayer Leverkusen to be top of anything is pretty special. When you think of the squad they've got and the money that's being spent. When you ask if this is the perfect fit for Liverpool, what stands out for me are the number of passes and the amount that are short.
So far, 646 of their 683 have been short. It comes to 95 per cent which is probably not what Liverpool are right now under Klopp. It's more reminiscent of what we see from a Pep Guardiola team. It's interesting when we put that on a scatter graph, and you can see Bayer Leverkusen alongside Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain [among Europe's top five leagues].
You can see Liverpool are further behind. We know from watching them that they are a more direct team and use counter-attacks more. From the company Leverkusen are keeping, we can say that Alonso's own influence is more like Pep Guardiola, which makes sense as he's been his manager.
But if Xabi Alonso was to become the Liverpool manager, which I think he will, I feel they are quite fortunate given that Jurgen Klopp has chosen this moment to move on. The timing for Alonso to step in is pretty perfect given the job he's doing.
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Sky Germany reporter Felix Fischer outlines why Bayer Leverkusen head coach Xabi Alonso is held in such high regard
Sky Germany's Felix Fischer:
"He does such a tremendous job. He is not only a genius tactician and in terms of how he prepares his team, but he is a gentleman. Everything he does, he does right.
"After the game, the fans wanted to celebrate with him but he spoke with his assistants and coaches to make sure they also joined him in the celebrations. He didn't want to celebrate it alone which shows the respect he has for his entire team, for the fans and for the entire club.
"I imagine he will be the Liverpool coach one day but Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes said on Sunday that he is really sure that Alonso will still be the coach next season.
- 10 min
- Jamie Carragher
Former Liverpool and Real Madrid hero Xabi Alonso looks ahead to a Champions League final that features to clubs close to his heart.Hit 'Subscribe' above to ...
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- TNT Sports
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Jan 29, 2024 · With Liverpool losing Jurgen Klopp at the end of the season, Bayer Leverkusen's Xabi Alonso has been linked with a move to Anfield. Here's why he deserves the job.
