Jamie Carragher has shared his thoughts on who will become Liverpool’s next manager following Jurgen Klopp’s departure. He compared Xabi Alonso’s managerial journey to that of Jose Mourinho and Klopp, suggesting the Spaniard could be Klopp’s successor at Liverpool.
Alonso, who was part of Rafael Benitez’s Champions League-winning side alongside Carragher during their five years at Anfield, is now favorite to replace Klopp. The 42-year-old has impressed everyone with his achievements at Bayer Leverkusen since taking over as manager in 2022, leading the club to their first Bundesliga title.
Leverkusen, who beat Bayern Munich 3-0 last Saturday, are now five points clear at the top of the Bundesliga and remain unbeaten in 31 games in all competitions. Carragher admitted Alonso’s “fantastic” performance at the BayArena reminded him of Mourinho and Klopp’s success at Porto and Borussia Dortmund before he went on to major success in Europe.
Monday evening: “We think he is a great administrator, because I think there is a good opportunity to be a Liverpool manager. Most people and most people do a lot at the lowest level when they start.”He talks about a famous football manager: “Think about how to win the Klopp League after two names and think about Xabi Alonso and what my favorite is. How does it work and how does it differ from Jurgen Klopp and his Liverpool team?”Regarding Alonso’s playing strategy, Carragher noted that it is very similar to that of Pep Guardiola, who coached Alonso at Bayern Munich in 2014.
“Liverpool are a direct team, they move faster and use counter-attacks” , added Carragher. “Bayer Leverkusen, this team and probably his influence, Pep Guardiola, is more. He is closer to Manchester City because he was the manager of Manchester City.”Carragher said of the possibility of Alonso becoming Liverpool manager: “If Xabi Alonso becomes Liverpool manager, I think Liverpool are very lucky to have Klopp at the moment.” Moving on, the timing of Xabi Alonso’s arrival is perfect for what he does.
“He has to have his own philosophy and put his stamp on the team, but this team is so used to playing a certain way under Jurgen Klopp and Anfield, the crowd, the energy and Xabi Alonso knows that. So I think if it works, we’ll see a fusion of the two styles. “But I have no doubt that he is the smartest young manager today.”Liverpool currently lead the Premier League in the last 16 of the FA Cup and Europa League and will face Chelsea in the League Cup final later this month. Klopp looks to be in good form for the top flight.
