Following the terrific start to his managerial career with Bayer Leverkusen, Xabi Alonso is now garnering attention from two of Europe's biggest sides in Bayern Munich and Liverpool, but which one suits him best?
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When Jose Mourinho was asked in 2019 which of his former players he expected to be a top manager one day, he named Alonso. He claimed that because his father, Periko Alonso, was a manager and the fact that he was a high IQ player who played across Europe's top leagues under some of the beautiful game's most astute tactical minds, the ex-deep-lying playmaker had the perfect conditions to become a top coach. In true Mourinho fashion, he has been proved right.
Leverkusen are currently eight points ahead of perennial Bundesliga title winners Bayern in the German top-flight standing, and have also reached the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal and the round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League, and these accomplishments are all the more impressive considering this is his first big gig in senior professional football.
However, it has been confirmed that two of his former teams will be managerless come the end of the current campaign in the Reds and Die Roten, and it is believed that both have identified the Basque native as their prime target to take over their respective dugouts.
But who should Alonso sign with?
In the case of the Bavarians, there has been a lot of flux as far as managerial appointments are concerned since Pep Guardiola left the club, and Alonso was still a player in the team.
The constant change has also been taking place in the boardroom as well as there has been a lack of continuity regarding sporting directors, technical directors and board members. After the long tenures of Uli Hoeness and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in the Bayern top brass, there has been many changes within its hierarchy.
This might not be conducive for a coach who is just starting out and who has been within a stable club structure at Leverkusen, and despite the fact that he was a prominent player during his time at Bayern as a player, it's hard to see him being able to leverage the clout to be given more time as a manager. He will, however, have an abundance of riches and will be able to buy many the best players, which, in its own way, could be a poisoned chalice, because then even more pressure will be placed on him.
Liverpool seem like a more ideal fit for him. Even though the Merseysiders have also been going through some changes regarding their chiefs recently, the pressure to win every game won't as great as it would be if he were to opt for the Bayern job.
He will also have the fans much more on his side as during his playing days, the 2010 FIFA World Cup winner played alongside perhaps their greatest-ever player in Steven Gerrard, playing a key role for the team himself. He will need them on his side as well as the club can expect to go through a transitional phase, with Mohamed Salah seemingly likely to leave the club and Virgil van Dijk having been coy about his future at Anfield.
This shouldn't be an issue for the 42-year-old, though, as he has already shown at the BayArena that he is capable of building quality teams with players who are relatively unknown. Players such as Victor Boniface and Alex Grimaldo spring to mind.
Speaking of Grimaldo, Alonso's style of play seems to utilise fullbacks heavily and with the six-time European champions boasting some of the best in football in the form of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson, it seems like a match made in heaven.
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Taking the Liverpool job does not guarantee success, however, and that is a downside to that managerial role. So, there are advantages and disadvantages to taking either job, and Alonso could just end up sticking to what he knows best right now and staying at Leverkusen. That seems unlikely, however, as both his former sides are going to push hard for his signature.
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