Xabi Alonso is the most discussed football manager in the world at the moment after what he has been doing with Bayer Leverkusen. Die Werkself sit at the top of the Bundesliga table with a 10-point gap to Bayern Munich. A situation that makes Alonso become an open target for some European giants to sign him next season.
The 2010 World Cup winner is linked with multiple clubs, including two of his former employers, Liverpool FC and Bayern. Speaking about Alonso’s probability of managing these clubs, Liverpool’s only Ballon d’Or winner Michael Owen released a surprising statement.
Xavi Alonso to Liverpool: Michael Owen disapproves
“It’s a big dilemma for Xabi Alonso,” Owen told Bet Ideas. “Real Madrid is another possibility in the future but it looks like unless he stays at Leverkusen then it’s a straight fight between Liverpool and Bayern and you can see the pros and cons for both. He’s not been a manager long so I think the safer option is going to Bayern Munich.”
Owen added that choosing Bayern as his next stop is a much safer job than taking the one at Anfield. He emphasized the burden Alonso would take if he took the Liverpool job next season.
Also Read: Will Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen Win Bundesliga Title This Season?
“We’ve now got a sustained period of success at Liverpool under Klopp and the next manager can’t do better than that so the only way is down maybe?,” Owen told Bet Ideas. “It’s a dangerous, risky move and the Bayern Munich one is a safe option, with his credibility probably going through the roof, and then he can have his pick again should he need it. It’s a really difficult one at the moment and I can see pros and cons for both clubs.”
Michael Owen reminds Xabi Alonso of Liverpool’s fan base’s expectations
Liverpool are hunting an ideal replacement for Jurgen Klopp who will leave this summer. The bar set by the German manager is high, looking back at The Reds level of performance for the past few years, where they were competing, and what they were fighting for.
Owen, who is no stranger to what it feels to play for Liverpool, is very much aware of the situation. In fact, Liverpool players will need to adjust to a new style of play in the post-Klopp era. The former Real Madrid forward pointed out the example of clubs that are struggling after the departure of their long-standing managers.
“Liverpool is a dangerous move,” he said. “Following Jurgen Klopp is going to be so difficult. They don’t play in the style of play of Xabi Alonso at the moment, they play a different style, so it might not be that easy to convert.
“Or he might just be a great manager that can coach in different ways. But we’ve seen with Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and Arsene Wenger at Arsenal and how those clubs went through a lot of pain.”
Liverpool signed Xabi Alonso in the summer of 2004, just seven days after selling Owen to Real Madrid, which the Spaniard also joined five years later.