Xabi Alonso: Welcome back to Anfield.

[Scott_M]

28 minutes ago, Nelly-Szoboszlai said:

Just had 10 mins of Leverkusen on. 
 

They press like us, but seem a lot more possession based than Klopp’s tactics.

 

Impressed though, but I think we’d need a couple of technically gifted attacking players to make the system work, like prime Coutinho types. I like how he has the wing-backs/wide midfielders pushing right up and then cutting into the box to play like inside forwards.

I watched 65 minutes. Like you, despite it still somehow being 0-0, I was impressed for the same reasons.

 

It isn’t 3-4-3, it’s 3-2-5. Like Brighton did against us towards the end of the game in October, put 5 forwards against 4 defenders, pull them about and cause gaps. 

 

I don’t think we need a couple of #10’s, I think the players we have, have enough about them to be the #10’s - dropping between the lines, more central, turning under less pressure and then going at opposition defence. It’s a different but equally as exciting prospect as what we have now.

 

My biggest question mark would be our full backs. Frimpong and Grimaldo have regularly been in the oppositions box tonight, actually genuine goal scoring threats. Frimpong has 5 league goals this season, Grimaldo has 7. Would we ever expect Robbo & Trent to put up those numbers? I know they get lots of assists, Robbo gets 1/2 goals a season, Trent gets more but even this season Trent only has 2 league goals. Not saying we couldn’t get them to chip in more, it is a question mark.

 

We’d need a left sided centre back who is comfortable on the ball & covering potential left back positions.

[Funkasy]

He fucked us of at the first chance to go to madrid, he will do the same if he has both options. If Madrid stick with Ancelotti then we stand a chance.

[Lee909]

2 minutes ago, Scott_M said:

We’d need a left sided centre back who is comfortable on the ball & covering potential left back positions.

 

Joe Gomez

 

 

 

They've been good but Grimaldo and Frimpong have blown tbe best chances(I've only seen 2nd half) oh and now Tella misses

[Nelly-Szoboszlai]

We’ve jinxed him. 

[Scott_M]

Just now, Lee909 said:

 

Joe Gomez

 

 

 

They've been good but Grimaldo and Frimpong have blown tbe best chances(I've only seen 2nd half) oh and now Tella misses

Injury record is always a concern.

 

Somebody like Gvardiol or Alaba.

 

I think the fact you’ve said Grimaldo & Frimpong have blown the best chances proves my point! 

[Smell The Glove]

1 minute ago, Nelly-Szoboszlai said:

We’ve jinxed him. 

Sacked and pay off

[3 Stacks]

17 minutes ago, Scott_M said:

I watched 65 minutes. Like you, despite it still somehow being 0-0, I was impressed for the same reasons.

 

It isn’t 3-4-3, it’s 3-2-5. Like Brighton did against us towards the end of the game in October, put 5 forwards against 4 defenders, pull them about and cause gaps. 

 

I don’t think we need a couple of #10’s, I think the players we have, have enough about them to be the #10’s - dropping between the lines, more central, turning under less pressure and then going at opposition defence. It’s an equally as exciting prospect as what we have now.

 

My biggest question mark would be our full backs. Frimpong and Grimaldo have regularly been in the oppositions box tonight, actually genuine goal scoring threats. Frimpong has 5 league goals this season, Grimaldo has 7. Would we ever expect Robbo & Trent to put up those numbers? I know they get lots of assists, Robbo gets 1/2 a season, Trent gets more but even this season Trent only has 2 league goals. Not saying we couldn’t get them to chip in more, it is a question mark.

 

We’d need a left sided centre back who is comfortable on the ball & covering potential left back positions.

It can be misleading to look at how a manager sets a team up at another club.

 

Klopp changed from Dortmund to Liverpool in terms of the setup. What didn't change is his high level idea, which is counter pressing.

 

Same for Xabi, really. The fact he has wingbacks or plays 3 at the back at Leverkusen is probably not super relevant. What he likes is possession football and there's some positional and pressing stuff as well. It's more that, that would be coming over.

 

 

 

[Code]

Players always showing for the ball, creating 2 against 1 opportunities, playing past lines with creating possible triangles, creating space, turning play, pressing hard and pressing high.

 

Whats not to like, imagine how good it could be with even better players like ours?

 

I do not watch a lot of Spanish football, but from what I read, this is a bit like how Girona also like to play. 
 

Correct me if Im wrong. 

[Dicko]

2 minutes ago, Code said:

Players always showing for the ball, creating 2 against 1 opportunities, playing past lines with creating possible triangles, creating space, turning play, pressing hard and pressing high.

 

Whats not to like, imagine how good it could be with even better players like ours?

We don't need to imagine we've seen Klopp's teams do the same thing.

[Code]

Just now, Dicko said:

We don't need to imagine we've seen Klopp's teams do the same thing.

Yes exactly, the perfect replacement then?

[Dicko]

1 minute ago, Code said:

Yes exactly, the perfect replacement then?

If he's committed long term, absolutely.

He looks the best option at the moment.

[Smell The Glove]

16 minutes ago, Code said:

Players always showing for the ball, creating 2 against 1 opportunities, playing past lines with creating possible triangles, creating space, turning play, pressing hard and pressing high.

 

Whats not to like, imagine how good it could be with even better players like ours?

 

I do not watch a lot of Spanish football, but from what I read, this is a bit like how Girona also like to play. 
 

Correct me if Im wrong. 

I actually think the style would work with the players we have. Mo moving slightly inside with wingbacks. Darwin massive upgrade on Schick. Just takes a bit of time after a group that is basically ingrained in Klopp. 

[Kevin D]

2 hours ago, Lee909 said:

35 seconds and still 0-0

De Zerbi it is

If I was Mike Gordon, I’d be on the phone to Jamie Carragher tonight.

[TheHowieLama]

He is not just the obvious candidate he is the only candidate imo who can handle the job and all it entails precisely because of his playing career here.

 

Whomever the German du jour is or a no mark like De Zerbi or the Postegfella wouldn't stand a chance.

[magicrat]

Be interesting to know who Klopp thinks should replace him. Assuming the split with the Yanks is amicable he is best placed to identify the right man

[Remmie]

3 minutes ago, magicrat said:

Be interesting to know who Klopp thinks should replace him. Assuming the split with the Yanks is amicable he is best placed to identify the right man

He said in his interview that he will have no part in choosing his successor 

[magicrat]

3 minutes ago, Remmie said:

He said in his interview that he will have no part in choosing his successor 

Missed that . Mind you he probably noticed that it didn’t work that well for Slur and Utd 

[lebron]

1 hour ago, 3 Stacks said:

I'm just against the idea that the playing career of someone means anything in terms of determining what makes a good manager.

 

We have seen they come from all levels, backgrounds, even from different careers than football. You can't favour or eliminate anyone.

 

Who he is and what he did in his career obviously has helped him, but that's at an individual level. A similar player with a similar career is not inherently a top manager. My point is really just that what he is doing at Leverkusen is the important thing here because it's concrete proof of his ability and possible suitability. It's not because he was a great or even a "cerebral" player or whatever.

 

I think we might be talking about different things here… My brain is pretty fried from the last 36 hours.

 

I think how well he’s doing at Leverkusen is linked to how good (and cerebral) a player he was, for sure. 

I agree that you don’t have to have had a great playing career to be a great manager, as motivational skills, man management, charisma, communication skills etc. are the most important daily skills you’ll need. Traditionally, a lot of the first people clubs turn to are former players though, even if that picture is (thankfully) changing.

 

You need to have a good plan though. Whether that’s based on your ideas or one or several of your coaches. That’s where a playing career where you’ve had to do some thinking on the pitch comes in handy. I’d argue it’s a bit different in more “static” sports like baseball (or even  NFL) where there’s more controlled parts of play where you can diagram plays etc. If you don’t have good/great ideas then a playing career won’t save you either of course.

 

Also, in terms of in-game management, I think you might get some experience that can be valuable if you’ve played (and won) in high-pressure situations. 

 

 

[TD_LFC]

For anyone who watched Leverkusen last night and are now watching the Norwich game you can see the similarities in shape while we have the ball.

 

We've spent the majority of the game really high up  with 3 at the back, 2 split in midfield and 5 across the front in the same way Leverkusen did the only difference is in how we build those numbers with less reliance on both full backs making up the 5.

[TD_LFC]

 

[Kevin D]

Gone off him, now:

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/xabi-alonso-jurgen-klopp-liverpool-manager-blrlvd6kj
 

Jürgen Klopp delivered a ringing endorsement of Xabi Alonso’s credentials, describing one of the candidates tipped to succeed him at Liverpool as the “stand-out” coach in a new generation of managers.

 

Klopp has made it clear that he will not play a part in choosing his replacement when he leaves at the end of the season and was effusive in his praise of the Bayer Leverkusen coach only after being asked for his thoughts on how Alonso has transformed the German club.

 

Leverkusen were entrenched in the relegation zone when appointing Alonso to his first senior management role in October 2022 but the Spaniard — who spent five years as a player at Liverpool, during which time he won the Champions League in 2005 — has reinvigorated them.

 

After an emphatic 3-0 victory over Bayern Munichlast weekend, Leverkusen moved five points clear at the top of the Bundesliga and Alonso is now well-placed to become the first manager to prevent Bayern from winning the title since Klopp guided Borussia Dortmund to success in 2012.

 

Alonso’s work this season has made the 42-year-old a front-runner to join Liverpool and Klopp enthused about how the Spaniard has put his mark on the club so quickly, creating a team who are comfortable morphing into different formations during matches.

 

“Xabi is doing an incredible job,” Klopp said. “This is completely independent of that [links with the Liverpool job]. If you would have asked me eight weeks ago about Xabi Alonso, I would have gone, ‘Oh my God’.

 

“The ‘dinosaurs’, if you want, [Carlo] Ancelotti, [José] Mourinho, [Pep] Guardiola, maybe me, we will not do it [carry on in management] — OK maybe Mourinho, but all the rest will not do it for the next 20 years.

“The next generation is already there and I would say, at the moment, Xabi is the stand-out in that department.

 

“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 is playing, the teams he sets up, the transfers he did, it was absolutely exceptional.”

 

Asked what in particular had stood out, Klopp added: “How quick his team is that well-tuned. For the time it’s taken, he’s put his proper stamp on it.

 

“Nobody knows if that is always the way he wants to play or if it’s the way this team specifically plays. He is not long enough in the business to tell, but obviously the coaching part is exceptional. That is clear.”

 

Liverpool have undertaken a data-driven process to pinpoint Klopp’s replacement after he informed Mike Gordon, the president of the club’s owner, Fenway Sports Group, in November that he would be standing down because he no longer had the energy levels after 24 years in management, and nine seasons at Anfield, to give the job his full commitment.

The Brighton & Hove Albion head coach, Roberto De Zerbi, is among the others who have been linked to the position.

 

In the case of Alonso, Anfield officials would be mindful of respecting Leverkusen’s charge towards what would be a first Bundesliga title and will have seen how Newcastle United’s public overtures to Unai Emery collapsed in November 2021, when he was in charge at Villarreal.

 

Leverkusen are also in the German Cup semi-finals and the last 16 of the Europa League, a competition in which they could yet meet Liverpool. The German club are unbeaten in 31 matches in all competitions this term.

 

Klopp described that as “super impressive” and pointed out Leverkusen had also been the better side in a 2-2 draw with Bayern in September.

 

“That is rare,” he said. “To be honest, when we beat Bayern [during Klopp’s time] at Dortmund, especially at the beginning, it was [by] defending better and trying to be brave at certain moments and try to catch them.

 

“But Leverkusen was better. The set-up was better. That was probably the real surprise given the short time he was there and [given] it’s a young team. Everybody would say exactly the same. In Germany, they talk like this: ‘Wow, that is really impressive.’

 

“Leverkusen has 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 Bayer Leverkusen. Really crazy.”

 

On Friday Ange Postecoglou gave short shrift to speculation that he could succeed Klopp after only a single season in charge of Tottenham Hotspur.

 

The Australian head coach has gained plenty of admirers for the proactive tactics that have kept Spurs on the coattails of Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal — the three clubs vying for the Premier League title.

 

Postecoglou, 58, acknowledged that such a link was proof of progress but made clear that he was no fan of the conjecture. “If it’s only people throwing up names, then who cares?” he said. “Like, seriously? If I’m doing a good job then hopefully people will acknowledge that in one form or another — whatever that form is. But so-called ‘chat’, that’s of no interest to me.”

 

Would Postecoglou go on the record and pledge that he would still be at Tottenham in 2024-25? “That’s the funny space when we talk about managers,” he replied. “When we’re not going well, then there’s questioning about whether we’re going to be here.
 

When you’re potentially going OK there’s still questions about whether you’re going to be here.

 

“The reality of it is: most of it is out of our hands. I’m never worried about that.”

Meanwhile, before Liverpool’s game away to Brentford on Saturday, Klopp ruled out a move for Kylian Mbappé, who has indicated he will leave Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.

 

Real Madrid are favourites to sign him and Klopp said of Liverpool’s chances: “Obviously I am not involved in that but I can tell you that I would be surprised. It would be tricky for most of the top clubs I know — wages, signing fee.”

 

 

[Remmie]

Betfair and Paddy Power have lengthened his odds from around 1.57 to 2.1:

Is this an opportunity to make money or something to be concerned about? Other bookies have kept him at a shorter price

[joe_fishfish]

Has anyone else moved significantly? Imo it's pretty meaningless at this stage

[Megadrive Man]

21 minutes ago, Remmie said:

Betfair and Paddy Power have lengthened his odds from around 1.57 to 2.1:

Is this an opportunity to make money or something to be concerned about? Other bookies have kept him at a shorter price

 

It's probably because they've taken a big bet on somebody else so they want more people to bet on Alonso with them to balance the book. 

 

1.57 to 2.1 is not a huge shift in the odds anyway.

[johnsusername]

Can't believe De Zerbi is still on the list.