By Chris Cahillane
Since the announcement that this will be Jurgen Klopp’s final season in the Liverpool dugout, it has been a very turbulent and emotional time for everyone associated with the club. Although it may seem like the end of the world for a lot of fans, former Reds mainstay Jamie Carragher is very excited about what the future may hold.
Carra, 46, admitted in an exclusive interview with us that he was “devastated” the day the news broke about the German’s departure. However, after reflecting on it over the following days, he had lots of questions that potentially had very exciting answers. He said: “I did get a little bit excited thinking about who might come in, what could be new and where could this team end up?”
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The obvious candidate for the job currently is one of Carragher’s former teammates – playing together on 199 occasions – Xabi Alonso. Currently one of the hottest commodities in world football, the 42-year-old Leverkusen team are taking the Bundesliga and Europa League by storm, currently unbeaten in all competitions as we approach March. Carra believes that the Spaniard’s playing career has set him up perfectly to manage right at the top level.
“If you look at the leagues he has played in (Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga) and the top managers he has played under (Guardiola, Ancelotti, Mourinho and Benitez), he seems to have taken bits from all the different coaches. I do know that Pep was his number one when I asked him about the contrasting styles between Guardiola and Mourinho and I think looking at the stats from his Leverkusen team, you can see the Pep imprint on Alonso’s work.”
“If Xabi came to Liverpool, I think it would be a match made in heaven, in terms of he knows what the club expects and demands, and what the fans want especially. I also struggle to believe that Liverpool would not want him, but it is important to consider if Alonso himself would want the job. He may want to continue his project at Leverkusen, or gain some more experience elsewhere.”
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Whoever takes over from Jurgen Klopp, whether it is Alonso or someone else, Carragher does not see any reason why the club cannot improve: “There is no reason why we cannot get better. We did not win everything under Klopp, and although we did get unlucky in some league seasons and cup finals, we maybe should have won a lot more.
“Another important thing to consider is the players themselves. These individuals have been so used to Jurgen for so long, a slight change and hearing different ideas may work out great.”
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Although many amongst the fanbase will struggle to accept anyone who isn’t Alonso at this point, it should be remembered that FSG are unlikely to listen to social media trends and instead what the numbers say…it just so happens on this occasion the answer may well be the same.
So impressive is the job that the Spaniard is doing in the Bundesliga that only Klopp himself compares in modern times when it comes to potentially dethroning the almighty Bayern Munich.
With a glowing endorsement from Carragher for his fellow student of the game in the bag, let’s hope we do see Xabi back at Anfield…
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