Jurgen Klopp High Praise for Xabi Alonso
Jurgen Klopp, the Liverpool coach, said that Xabi Alonso, now at Bayer Leverkusen, is the "standout coach" of the next generation of coaches.
The Spanish coach has Bayer Leverkusen at the top of the Bundesliga, five points ahead of Bayern Munich, which would mark the first title not won by Bayern in over a decade.
"The next generation is already here, and I would say Xabi is the standout of that generation. He's a former world-class player, comes from a family of coaches, was already a bit like a coach when he was playing... The football his team is playing, how they position themselves, the signings he's made... It's absolutely exceptional," Klopp said in an interview with Sky Sports.
"His team is so well-oiled, in such a short time. He has left his mark on it," the German added.
Following the announcement a few weeks ago that Klopp will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, Xabi Alonso has emerged as the leading candidate to succeed him, both due to his success at Leverkusen and his past as a 'Red' - he spent five seasons at Anfield as a player.
