He won the Champions League with Liverpool, has no managerial experience, but wants to replace Klopp

Xabi Alonso took Bayer Leverkusen second-bottom in October, and has put them five points away from Europe by trying to be like a coach he never had, Jürgen Klopp: "He has charisma, you see it at the end of games in the relationship he has with his players (...) Having that is gold for a coach.

Alonso says he had "the dream career", because he played for his hometown team (Real Sociedad), "the best team in England (Liverpool), the best team in Spain (Real Madrid) and the best team in Germany (Bayern Munich)", not to mention the World Cup. Now, at 41, he is laying the foundations for the same career as a coach.

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In the German press he explained his secret, what he praised about Klopp just before he became coach, but without naming Klopp: "The players need to follow you, to believe in what you do, that they get better with your help". They recognised this themselves, like German midfielder Nadiem Amiri: "There is a different energy since Xabi has been with us," whom he asked, as he explained, to put "energy on the pitch, because if one player does it, a second and a third will do it too".

Alonso longs to return to Liverpool

With Liverpool's poor form following their FA Cup exit at the hands of Brighton, rumours have cast doubt over German manager Jurgen Klopp's continuity with the Reds. Although everything seems to indicate that the boss will serve out his contract until 2026, Xabi Alonso said in an interview that one of his longings is to manage Liverpool.