Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has hailed Xabi Alonso’s “special” managerial talents as he prepares to face the man many wanted to get the job the Dutchman now has.
The former Real Madrid midfielder, who won the Champions League with the Reds in 2005, was the hot favourite to replace Jurgen Klopp when the German announced in January he was leaving at the end of the season.
Alonso was flying high with Bayer Leverkusen at the time, eventually going on to win their first Bundesliga title with their only defeat of the season coming in the Europa League final.
The Spaniard ruled himself out of the running early on, deciding to stay with the new German champions, but he remains the favourite to be Carlo Ancelotti’s long-term successor at the Bernabeu.
But while Alonso continued to dominate the discussion even after his public announcement Liverpool’s search had moved on and eventually landed on Slot.
Initial appearances suggest the appointment was the right one as the Dutchman has won 13 of his 15 matches in charge, losing only against Nottingham Forest and drawing at Arsenal.
But Alonso’s return to Anfield, where he remains beloved long after his five seasons as a player, for a Champions League tie offers the chance to compare and contrast.
“That he is special, that’s clear,” said Slot.
“If you go to a club that was bottom of the league and with the same players you bring them all the way up without spending that much money in that summer, only bringing in one or two very good players, and they had the season (they had) and only lost the final of the Europa League, it tells you that he is special.
“What it is that makes him special is difficult for me to say because I haven’t faced him yet and I haven’t worked with him.
“What might be the situation is that he’s worked with very good managers in the past, he was a player with incredible insight in the game, he knew when to be where and he played at the highest levels so he knows and understands how these players feel in certain moments.
“That probably contributes to what makes him a good manager.
“How he is exactly so special? The best way to find that out is to talk to the players he has worked with and I haven’t done that yet.”