Jurgen Klopp is highly impressed by the work of Xabi Alonso and in time believes that he will be the leader of the next generation of elite managers.
The former Liverpool midfield star has guided Bayer Leverkusen to the top of the Bundesliga where they currently sit five points clear of reigning champions Bayern Munich.
The fact that they have done it in such an impressive fashion has certainly caught the eye of many observers, currently unbeaten through 21 games in the league as well as still competing in the Europa League and German Cup.
The shock announcement that Klopp would be leaving at the end of this campaign have led many to hope and think that the Spaniard is the natural fit to replace the iconic figure.
While Klopp did not directly discuss that prospect, he did praise the work of Alonso in glowing terms as the Mirror reported.
“Xabi is doing an incredible job,”.
“If there were not the rumours around, that’s completely independent, if you had asked me eight weeks ago about Xabi Alonso, I would have gone ‘Oh my God’.
“The dinosaurs if you want, Ancelotti, Mourinho, Guardiola, maybe me, we will not do it - OK maybe Mourinho - but all the rest of us will not do it for the next 20 years. The next generation is already there and I would say Xabi is the stand-out in that department.”
“Nobody knows if that’s always the way he wants to play or if it’s the way this team specifically plays. He’s not long enough in the business to tell, but obviously the coaching part is exceptional. That’s clear.
Klopp says that having being an esteemed player in his own right in the modern era has been highly beneficial.
“He’s a former world-class player, obviously from a coaching family as well, which helps a little bit, he was like a coach already when he was playing. The football he’s playing, the teams he sets up, the transfers he did, it was all absolutely exceptional.”
Another thing that clearly impressed Klopp from afar was the way that Leverkusen single handedly dismantled Bayern 3-0 in emphatic style last week in their quest for their first league title.
And refereeing back to his time at Borussia Dortmund, Klopp noted they went about it in a different fashion.
“To be honest when we beat Bayern at Dortmund, it was a bit of defending very well, counter-attacking and taking the momentum. But Leverkusen were simply better. That was probably the real surprise given the short time he was there and the fact that it’s a young team.
And it is why come the end of the season, Klopp senses that there will be honours coming Alonso’s way.
“As they are in the semi-final of the German Cup, there is only one other Bundesliga team in it if Gladbach wins, so Leverkusen have a very good chance to win the Cup,”
.
“Obviously when you look through the Europa League, Leverkusen are one of the favourites there as well so this could be THE season for Leverkusen. It’s really crazy."
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