It was a surprise that Liverpool did not push to sign one of their legends, Xabi Alonso, as their new coach. Now that he is on Chelsea's bench, the real reason why Anfield chiefs passed on him is finally coming to light.
It continues to surprise some football fans that Liverpool did not go all-in on signing Xabi Alonso, a club legend and one of the protagonists of "the miracle of Istanbul," when they won the Champions League after an epic comeback against AC Milan in 2005. But according to Mark Ogden, the Anfield board's lack of interest in having him on their bench was mainly due to the level of power he could wield over the bosses.
He mentioned to ESPN: "I've been told right from the outset, right back to two years ago, that Xabi Alonso was never really kind of high on Liverpool's list. And I think a lot of it is the fact that clubs don't really want to go for a club legend if they can help it, because that club legend becomes quite a powerful figure, and you don't want a manager more powerful than sporting directors in the hierarchy, do you? So that's one element.
But I think his style of play, I mean, this change with Slot is being designed by Liverpool in many aspects to have a more attacking front-foot way of playing, and that is Xabi Alonso's way of playing, really. Xabi Alonso isn't that, he's certainly not a kind of Klopp disciple. I'm not saying that Iraola is, but Iraola's Bournemouth does have a very high-energy style of play. So that is more suited to what Liverpool want."
But anyway, Alonso officially took over after July 1, and the preseason has begun in Cobham since last Thursday. He has a considerable number of the team's stars, and even some from his "untouchable" list: Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer, Estevao Levi, Colwill, and Josh Acheampong. He also has the newly signed players, Marco Palestra and Geovany Quenda, who will seek to give fluidity to the team's right flank.
Indeed, Estevao is not yet training at the same pace as his teammates due to that Grade 4 hamstring injury he suffered during the final stage of last season. An injury that caused him to miss the last Premier League matchdays, the FA Cup final against Manchester City, and what hurt him the most, the World Cup, since he had to be omitted by Carlo Ancelotti from the 26-man list.
The arrival of the young Portuguese, Quenda, will make that position (right winger) a free-for-all, because neither he nor Estevao will be willing to lose the starting spot to the other. Both are 19 and are called to be geniuses of their generation, so Alonso will have to guide them in the best way to turn them into attacking beasts, something that would benefit Chelsea greatly.
