Xabi Alonso
- Thread starter keniget
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
-
- Tags
- alonso
Think he needs to do an interview and announce he is leaving at the end of the season for private reasons "like he has unfinished business in the UK". Then give the speech about how the players need to fight and try and win everything they are involved in to make it count etc. Let's see how well that turns out.
I don't think Alonso is a known quantity at all, and I Iove the man. It's a massive risk I'd rather we didn't take.
Yeah I was absolutely certain he was the right choice yesterday, I'm down to 80% today. Not because Leverkusen lost, mainly because I realised that Xabi is very inexperienced.
Last edited:
How could he, he joined them in October 22.
well, there's always January...honestly I just looked at their transfers during 22/23
Last edited:
@Modo
Highlights if you haven't seen them yet.
bayer leverkusen vs borussia mönchengladbach stats https://g.co/kgs/Haknp6u
Looks like they did everything but score.
Highlights if you haven't seen them yet.
bayer leverkusen vs borussia mönchengladbach stats https://g.co/kgs/Haknp6u
Looks like they did everything but score.
thanks, I guess twitter isn't a great source
Some wonderful football and poor finishing. Feels familiar. I’m all in on Xabi.
It's interesting how Arteta (same age group, young coach, Spaniard), was thrust into it at Arsenal and was given alot of backing, both in time and financially. Nobody really mentioned the job being too big for him back then even though he was previously only an assistant manager. Considering he has been pitting up against Klopp's and Guardiola's team, he hadn't done too badly.
Yet, there are murmurs of Alonso being "too inexperienced" for the job in Liverpool which is strange. It's not as if he is coming to repair a severely broken ship, he will be taking over the league champions of 23/24.
Yet, there are murmurs of Alonso being "too inexperienced" for the job in Liverpool which is strange. It's not as if he is coming to repair a severely broken ship, he will be taking over the league champions of 23/24.
There isn't a right candidate. This is as poisoned a chalice as it was when Ferguson left. The teams in a better state than he left united though.
Alonso makes sense, as a former player, he'll get more time than anyone else would if it goes wrong
Alonso makes sense, as a former player, he'll get more time than anyone else would if it goes wrong
XG of 2.87 - you've got to remember that Leverkusen players will have seen the rumours too. They'll also be impacted.
In some ways I agree. Which is why I'd love Alonso to be given it. He'd already have a lot of goodwill in the bank.
That could change after this season.. Still in three competitions.
Would be funny if we played them in the EL
Oh it absolutely could, or he could bottle it.
I just have a feeling it’s a little early for him to be taking on one of the biggest Club Management jobs in football - but he could very well be “the one”.
I do think Alonso is the man for the job but i do also think Arteta had a huge advantage in shadowing / observing / learning from the top manager in the league he would go on to compete in with Arsenal. Arteta also came very close to the sack at one stage.
But like you say the ships not broken but knowing the waters might give an edge to someone like De Zerbi
Honestly, my biggest problem with Xabi getting it is that he is this great ex-player. I'm always wary of these sentimental attachments - it just makes me cringe a bit, I suppose. And I actually think it makes it harder for them too - it's an added pressure to not let down the fans.
I mean I'm fine with him if he's the best candidate, but if I'm honest I'd just prefer it if the best candidate wasn't also the happy ending to some twee fairy tale.
I mean I'm fine with him if he's the best candidate, but if I'm honest I'd just prefer it if the best candidate wasn't also the happy ending to some twee fairy tale.
Yet time and time again we've seen that fail. Look at any top manager and the club they moved to after success at the previpous club. Tons of failures.
IMHO the most important aspects of appointing our new manager are not just success but also a positive and entertaining style of play (and if it will suit our current complement), his man management, not requiring a massive budget, ability to bring through youngsters and last but not least by any means ... an affinity with the club.
Yeah but most of those are hard to tell unless there is a track record to compare it against. It does sound a bit like a thought process that would result in a big club hiring Stevie Gerrard or Gary Neville
Last edited:
The inexperienced Guardiola at Barca and the inexperienced Zidane at Madrid did better than most of the experienced ones. I’d be happy for Xabi to give it a go.
The managers that have transitioned well from being top players mostly seem to be the ones that showed absolute intelligence on the pitch, while those that seemed to outperform others on pure instinct tend to be shite as manager.
Xabi’s definitely the former, so I’ve got high hopes.
The managers that have transitioned well from being top players mostly seem to be the ones that showed absolute intelligence on the pitch, while those that seemed to outperform others on pure instinct tend to be shite as manager.
Xabi’s definitely the former, so I’ve got high hopes.
They drew ... but should have won. It happens.
Haha not on your life.
