Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has shared his first thoughts about Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso as his teammate at Anfield.
Jamie Carragher has revealed how Xabi Alonso irked him before even kicking a ball for Liverpool.
Alonso has been widely touted as the leading candidate to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool given his impressive work in charge of Bayer Leverkusen, who are sitting top of the Bundesliga. His impressive start to life as a head coach was preceded by an immensely successful player career, which included winning the Champions League with the Reds, as well as a long list of major honours with Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Spain.
However, little was known about Alonso in England when he signed for Rafa Benitez’s side in 2004. Reflecting on his experience as a teammate, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher praised the ex-midfielder’s knowledge of the game – but admitted that Alonso did not make the best first impression at Liverpool.
“Me and him used to talk about football a lot and you could tell when he first came in, he got football,” Carragher told The Redmen TV. “I always think, as a little thing, players who lack pace, they’ve got think about the game more.
“It makes you think. You’ve got to get yourself out of situations. You’ve got to make sure you don’t find yourself in certain situations and Xabi was one of them. He couldn’t run but he was a thinker of the game. He was obviously a great passer of the ball but he was always thinking about the game.”
“I always remember that when he signed for us he missed the first couple of games of the season,” Carragher added. “I remember Rafa saying – and don’t forget Xabi was only 22 – ‘We’ve got this player coming. He’s a fantastic player. He’s already spoke about where the team can improve, all the tactical things.’
“I’m reading this and thinking, ‘ Who the f****** hell does he think he is? 22, coming over from Spain, telling us where we’re going wrong, f****** let’s see you in the shirt first,’” laughed Carragher.
On Saturday, Alonso continued to prove his credentials as a coach by maintaining Leverkusen’s unbeaten start to the season across all competitions. A 2-1 away victory over Heidenheim saw Die Werkself extend their lead at the top to eight points on Bayern Munich ahead of their game against VfL Bochum (4.30pm).
