Liverpool smash Brentford and Klopp reveals who will succeed him as Anfield boss

Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp said Xabi Alonso, now at Bayer Leverkusen, is the "outstanding coach" of the next generation of coaches. The Spanish coach has Bayer Leverkusen in first place in the Bundesliga, five points clear of Bayern Munich for what would be the Bavarians' first title in more than a decade.

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"The next generation is already here and I would say that Xabi is the highlight of that generation. He is one of the best ex-players in the world, he comes from a family of coaches, he was already a bit of a coach when he played.... The football he's playing, the way his team is positioning itself, the signings he's made.... It's absolutely outstanding," Klopp said in an interview with Sky Sports.

"His team is so well-oiled, in such a short time. He has left his stamp on it," the German added. Following the announcement a few weeks ago that Klopp will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, Xabi Alonso has emerged as the favourite to succeed him, due to both his success at Leverkusen and his past as a Red, having spent five seasons at Anfield when he was a player.

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Liverpool triumph

While Klopp hinted at his liking for the manager he would like to see at Anfield after him, Liverpool had a great game against Brentford on Saturday as they won 4-1 with goals from Diogo Jota, Alexis Mac Allister, Mo Salah and Cody Gakpo to stay top of the Premier League on 57 points.