Jurgen Klopp hails 'absolutely exceptional' Xabi Alonso amid Liverpool links, calls Spaniard 'standout' young coach
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Published 17/02/2024 at 10:34 GMT
Jurgen Klopp waxed lyrical in his praise of Xabi Alonso, with the Spaniard helping to propel Bayer Leverkusen up to the Bundesliga summit. Alonso is the favourite to take over from Klopp, who announced his intention to leave his role as Liverpool manager at the end of the season. Leverkusen currently sit five points clear of Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, beating the Bavarians 3-0 last weekend.
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Jurgen Klopp hailed "incredible" Xabi Alonso for the start he has made to his fledgling managerial career, with the former Liverpool midfielder widely tipped to succeed the German.
The 42-year-old is the frontrunner to replace Klopp, who announced his intention to step down from the job at the end of this season.
Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen side are enjoying a stellar season and currently sit five points clear of Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga.
"Xabi is doing an incredible job," Klopp told the media on Friday.
“If there would not be the rumours around, that’s completely independent. 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, [Jose] Mourinho, [Pep] Guardiola, maybe me – we will not do it for the next 20 years. Okay, maybe [Jose] Mourinho will. The next generation is already there and I would say Xabi is standout in that department.
“[He is a] former world-class player, from a coaching family as well which helps a little, 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 is absolutely exceptional.”
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Klopp signalled the comprehensive nature in which Alonso’s side overcame Bayern Munich with a 3-0 victory last Saturday, and highlighted his impressive progress made in such a short period of time.
“I played a long time in the Bundesliga and it is super impressive,” he explained.
“Not only the points tally but the way they play. Leverkusen was clearly the better side in the first game against Bayern and that is rare. To be honest when we beat Bayern at Dortmund it was a bit of very well defended, counterattack and taking the momentum. Especially at the beginning.
“But Leverkusen were better. That was probably the real surprise given the short time he was there and it’s a young team. He has super signings for this team, exactly what they needed, and that’s really a very special job.
“Leverkusen has a very good chance to win the cup. When you look through the Europa League, Leverkusen is one of the favourites there as well so it could be the season for Leverkusen. Really crazy.”
Klopp’s current focus is on a Premier League match against Brentford at the Gtech Stadium on Saturday – a game you can watch live on TNT Sports.
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