Xabi Alonso is still very much regarded as the frontrunner for the Liverpool job this summer. The Spaniard ticks a lot of boxes for the Reds. He’s got a brilliant track record this season. He a very clear identity and an attractive playing style, and proven results.
On top of that, he is also a popular figure at Anfield, and has an enigmatic charisma. That kind of popularity and character could be very important in trying to fill a big gaping Jurgen Klopp void at Liverpool.
Nothing is set in stone yet. Liverpool are very much working in trying to wrap up the club’s new manager as soon as possible. There have been some key appointments behind the scenes recently with Michael Edwards returning to FSG, and Richard Hughes becoming Liverpool’s sporting director. All of that would suggest Liverpool are getting closer to appointing Klopp’s successor. Whether that will be Alonso remains to be seen.
How Liverpool’s academy copied Xabi Alonso today
Something that may have been of interest to Alonso today in terms of a potential future move to Anfield was how Liverpool’s U16 side set-up in their opening game of the prestigious MIC tournament in Spain today.
Lining up against UE Figueres, with the likes of Prince Kobe Cisse, who is Djibril Cisse’s son, and Finn Inglethorpe, who is the son of academy director Alex Inglethorpe, Liverpool didn’t use the traditional 4-3-3 formation.
This is interesting because Liverpool have always played the same system and formation to Jurgen Klopp’s first team at academy level. This is to help young academy starlets learn the basics of the system and transition into the first team easier.
However, against UE Figueres, Liverpool’s U16 team lined up with a different formation. The young Reds actually played with a back three, in a 3-4-3 formation, which is exactly the same formation Alonso deploys at Bayer Leverkusen.
Obviously, it’s important not to read too much into this subtle change in formation. However, it is interesting that this young Liverpool side lined-up with a back three. Alonso isn’t the only manager who has been linked with Liverpool and who prefers this formation. Ruben Amorim at Sporting CP also plays a back three and deploys a 3-4-3 system.