Why Alonso should avoid following Klopp at Liverpool

Tom Weber

• 16 Feb 2024 16:37 GMT
• 3 min read

Xabi Alonso could make a mistake by succeeding Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.

The legendary German manager is on his farewell tour on Merseyside. Klopp will leave the Reds at the end of the season after almost nine illustrious years in charge, leaving the club as a Premier League and Champions League winner.

Xabi Alonso is considered the favourite to replace Klopp, and for good reason. The Basque coach has transformed Bayer Leverkusen this season and they are now well on course to winning their first-ever Bundesliga title after smashing Bayern Munich 3-0.

Yet, while Alonso is the obvious choice for Liverpool, the question has to be asked: is Liverpool the obvious choice for Alonso? The answer is, well, quite complicated.

Alonso's Liverpool dream or nightmare?

According to Alonso's former Bayern teammate Bastian Schweinsteiger, it is the 42-year-old's dream to manage the Reds one day. The ex-German international believes it is very possible that Alonso makes the move to Anfield in the summer.

However, Alonso is also reportedly the favourite to replace Thomas Tuchel at Bayern. The former Chelsea and PSG boss is rapidly losing his grip on the job after punishing back-to-back defeats in the Bundesliga title race and the Champions League. Speculation is mounting that Bayern will not continue with the German after this season, and he could perhaps even be sacked before the conclusion of the campaign.

There is an argument to be made that the Bayern job would be a better choice for Alonso. While the pressure in Munich and Liverpool will be similar, it will likely be a much easier task to follow up and improve upon Tuchel's unimpressive work than on Klopp's.

We mustn't forget that Alonso is still a relatively inexperienced coach. He is very much at the start of his managerial career and taking on the Liverpool job after a stellar season-and-a-half at Leverkusen could be too big a step too soon.

It is unlikely that Klopp's successor - whoever that may be - will eclipse or even match the German's achievements. It would take an awful lot for Alonso, who is still adored by Reds fans, to spurn all that goodwill, but he could be setting himself up for failure by becoming Klopp's immediate successor.

Expectations will be sky high and matching them will be a Herculean task.