Former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has had his say on Xabi Alonso and Steven Gerrard’s managerial careers to date
Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen moved eight points clear at the top of the Bundesliga table.
Having run out impressive 3-0 winners over Bayern Munich last week, the German outfit followed it up with a 2-1 victory away at 1. FC Heidenheim on Saturday to extend their lead at the top of the table. With the Bavarians then losing 3-2 at VfL Bochum on Sunday, Alonso’s side are looking increasingly likely of clinching a first ever Bundesliga title come May.
Leverkusen were second from bottom when the Spaniard took over as manager in October 2022. It has been one hell of a turnaround at the BayArena under Alonso, as he looks to become the first manager to stop Bayern Munich winning the Bundesliga since Jurgen Klopp with Borussia Dortmund in 2011/12.
Alonso’s side are actually pursuing a treble, having booked their place in the DFB-Pokal semi-finals earlier this month. Meanwhile, like Liverpool, they are already through to the Europa League round-of-16 and will find out their next opponents in the competition on Friday.
With Klopp confirmed to be stepping down as Liverpool manager in the summer, Alonso has inevitably been linked with a return to Anfield as a possible replacement. He is seemingly the favourite for the job, with his credentials strengthening with each passing week as Leverkusen edge closer towards winning the Bundesliga.
Of course, it’s not over yet in the German top-flight. There are 12 games left to play and 36 points still up for grabs. If Leverkusen did miss out now despite their current eight-point lead, they wouldn’t be the first side to have been stung by a Bayern comeback following an 11-year monopoly in Germany.
But he would certainly be a popular appointment at Anfield regardless of how the rest of the season unfolds, with Klopp himself lauding Alonso as the ‘standout’ in the next generation of managers.
Former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez was the man responsible for recruiting Alonso as a player for the club back in 2004, making his compatriot one of his first signings when snapping him up from Real Sociedad in a £10.5m deal.
Like Alonso now, Benitez was one of the hottest managers in Europe at the time having won two La Liga titles with Valencia, in 2001/02 and 2003/04, ahead of Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, as well as the UEFA Cup in 2004. Consequently, he is well-placed to comment on the dilemma facing his former player if Liverpool do come calling and try to lure him away from Leverkusen.
“It’s difficult to know (when to move to a bigger club),” Benitez admitted to the Athletic. “You have to know the possibility of improving where you are or growing with a new project.
“I didn’t want to leave Valencia, I was really happy there, but there were offers from four teams and Liverpool’s was very attractive. You could see a project, with lots of excitement and potential.
“Maybe if I stayed, we would have won the Champions League with Valencia, but I went to a club that trusted me and gave me the keys to their house.”
Benitez, who is now manager of La Liga strugglers Celta Vigo, has inevitably been following Alonso’s progress as a manager. And while he has warned Liverpool to make sure they get their next appointment right, he believes his compatriot would be interested in returning to the Premier League.
“There is a lot of noise around Xabi Alonso at the moment, but there are lots of other good coaches not so much in the media spotlight,” he said. “Teams have to choose not what is trending on social media, but the characteristics they need and the stability and path they want for their team.
“Xabi has been at good teams with good coaches. He is intelligent. He has picked up different things from all his coaches.
“Yesterday, I watched the highlights (vs Bayern). I’ve watched some full games, too. When he took over last season, they needed to play a lot on the counter-attack.
“Now they have a team which is more of a protagonist, with a lot of pace, a lot of fast attacking. He is doing very good work.
“We all want to be in the most important competitions with the most attention. The Premier League is the reference at the moment.
“They pay well, conditions are good, fans are passionate, games are attractive. So it would be attractive for Xabi Alonso, and any other coach, to prove himself and to feel satisfied.”
Meanwhile, Benitez also had his say on Steven Gerrard’s managerial career to date. The Liverpool legend impressed at Rangers as he won the Scottish Premiership in 2020/21, and was tipped as a future Klopp successor at the time as a result.
But he struggled after taking over at Aston Villa and was sacked after just 11 months. Now managing in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettifaq, Benitez sympathises with his former captain.
