Liverpool next manager: Xabi Alonso and Roberto De Zerbi coaching background and preferred playing style

Liverpool next manager: Xabi Alonso and Roberto De Zerbi coaching background and preferred playing style

The ECHO takes a look at the styles of Xabi Alonso and Roberto De Zerbi and what they could bring to Anfield

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ByKeifer MacDonaldNorth West Trends Writer
03:00, 28 JAN 2024
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Xabi Alonso of Bayer Leverkusen

For the first time in nine years, Liverpool are searching for a new manager.

It comes after Jurgen Klopp’s shock announcement on Friday morning, in which he revealed he would be stepping down from his managerial post at the end of the season. The 56-year-old admitted he no longer has the energy levels required to license control at Anfield, as well as insisting he’d like to experience a ‘normal life’.

That means for the first time since October 2015, when Brendan Rodgers’ tenure came to an end just hours after a drab 1-1 draw with Everton at Goodison Park, Fenway Sports Group chiefs John W. Henry and Tom Werner, as well as President Mike Gordon, will be tasked with appointing a third manager of their near 14-year reign on Merseyside.

READ MORE: Inside the 48 hours that shook Liverpool as clues dropped and Jurgen Klopp staff left gobsmacked

READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp hasn’t made same mistake as Alex Ferguson as Liverpool exit announced

As it stands, Xabi Alonso and Roberto de Zerbi are the bookmakers’ favourites to replace Klopp, who has won every top-flight trophy available during his eight-and-a-half years in the dugout, while Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Frank have also been touted as outsiders for the soon-to-be vacant role. Here, the ECHO takes a look at the profiles of Alonso and De Zerbi and what they could bring to Anfield.

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Xabi Alonso – Bayer Leverkusen
Style: Total control

Age: 42

Previous clubs: Real Madrid Academy (2018-2019), Real Sociedad B (2022-present)

If Xabi Alonso had the knack of making professional football look like a stroll in the park, then the same can be said about his start to life in the dugout.

Since obtaining his UEFA Pro Licence back in June 2019 – alongside Esteban Cambiasso, Xavi and Raul, just to name a few of his respected class-mates – the 42-year-old Spaniard has taken a fast track to becoming one of European football’s hottest commodities.

His first role on the touchline came at the academy of former side Real Madrid, where he oversaw the development of the Los Blancos’ under-14s during the 2018-2019 season before returning to boyhood club Real Sociedad to take control of their reserve side.

Almost 20 years after first making headlines in San Sebastian for his promise as a player, Alonso was doing the same in 2021 as a manager, this time while guiding Sociedad’s B team to the Segunda Division for the first time since 1962. But after three seasons spent perfecting his craft in Spain’s lower divisions, he decided to call time on his spell with Real Sociedad and wait patiently for his next opportunity.

That opening would present itself to the 114-cap Spain international in October 2022, with Bayer Leverkusen sitting 17th in the Bundesliga and taking the decision to sack Gerardo Seoane. In confirming Alonso as the club’s new manager, sporting director Simon Rolfes described him as an “intelligent strategist” and “world-class professional” who could bring success to BayArena.

That he has done, and in a phenomenal manner too. In fact, in just shy of 18 months at the club, Alonso has transformed Leverkusen into one of the most exciting young sides in Europe, who are expertly burdening the weight of the club’s 120-year history as they close in on a first-ever Bundesliga title.

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Leverkusen recently moved four points clear of Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga, playing an expansive, silky style of play that focuses on dominating the ball and playing through the lines.

Lining up in a usual 3-4-2-1 formation, Leverkusen start their build-up play from deep to create overloads in wide areas. Such an approach allows either full-back Jeremie Frimpong or Alejandro Grimaldo to wreak havoc in advanced areas of the field as they provide support to an attacking branch that boasts the talents of Florian Wirtz, Victor Boniface, Patrik Schick and more.

Under the stewardship of Alonso, the 2002 Champions League finalists have earned themselves a reputation as one of the most forward-thinking teams in Germany, with only Bayern Munich totalling more progressive passes and progressive carries this season. They are one of the most exciting too, having scored 50 goals in just 18 Bundesliga matches this season.

Oh, and they are the only team in Europe’s top-five leagues not to suffer defeat in any of their games this season, with their current record standing at a remarkable 24 wins and three losses from their outings across the Bundesliga, Europa League and DFB-Pokal this season.

Roberto de Zerbi – Brighton & Hove Albion
Style: Patient possession

Age: 44

Previous clubs: Darfo Boario (2013-2014), Foggia (2014-2016), Palermo (2016), Benevento (2017-2018), Sassuolo (2018-2021), Shakhtar Donetsk (2021-2022), Brighton & Hove Albion (2022-present)

Looking back, there’s a sense of irony that Liverpool were the first Premier League opponents to sit up and take note of what Roberto De Zerbi was capable of building at Brighton & Hove Albion.

Not long after Italian had been instilled as the Seagulls’ answer to Graham Potter’s departure – his first game, in fact – was he enjoying a dazzling start to the Premier League as he watched his new side race into a two-goal lead at Anfield courtesy of Leandro Trossard.

Although Liverpool salvaged a 3-3 draw on that particular afternoon at Anfield, for De Zerbi, it’s fair to say his time in the English game so far has largely been that of an upward trajectory. The 44-year-old, who made his name managing in Italy’s lower divisions before an impressive spell at Sassuolo and briefly at Shakhtar Donetsk, has taken the Seagulls to new heights in the post-Potter era, overseeing a first top-six finish in the Premier League and an FA Cup semi-final during his first months on the South Coast.

Similarly to Alonso, how De Zerbi has achieved his breathtaking success has been remarkable, with the bravery with which he implements his style of play recently being applauded by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

Lining up in a 4-2-3-1, the Italian’s philosophy centres around both the goalkeeper’s and defenders’ ability to play out from the back, with current Brighton No.1 Jason Steele at times acting as a third centre-back in the early stages of build-up play. A typical De Zerbi side looks to play short, patient passes and entices the opposition into pressing carelessly. From there, in Brighton’s case, they will look to exploit the gaps behind the midfield and defence with the pace of Kaoru Mitoma.

Indeed, De Zerbi’s style is not too dissimilar from that of Jurgen Klopp, with Brighton becoming a possession-orientated team since his arrival last season. However, it is not just on the field that the two share similarities, with former Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana drawing comparisons between his current and former manager.

“My relationship with Roberto is like he’s an older sibling, an older brother I’ve never had,” Lallana told the Daily Mail in September 2023. “He’s demanding as hell, but I just always want to impress him and make sure he’s not disappointed in me. His demands are extremely high. As demanding as Jurgen [Klopp], I’d say, but in a different way.”

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‘Fits worryingly well’ – German media think they know where Jurgen Klopp is heading after Liverpool exit
Jurgen Klopp wants to take a break from coaching when he leaves Liverpool at the end of the season

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ByTom CavillaFootball Trends Writer
16:52, 27 JAN 2024
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Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp
Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp (Image: 2024 Charlotte Wilson/Offside)

Jurgen Klopp’s choice to leave Liverpool has certainly not gone unnoticed in his home country.

Reports in Germany have been debating just what the future holds for the 56-year-old after nearly a decade spent on Merseyside managing the Reds.

One thing that appears certain is Klopp taking a lengthy break from the game, at least for a year, if his comments from his Friday press conference are anything to go by.

Debating whether Klopp could make a return to management further down the line, the German media have offered their thoughts on the situation.

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‘I do believe’

Matthias Brugelmann of BILD wrote: “Almost every fan in the world would like to have this coach, this guy, this Klopp for their team. What an ambassador, what a face of our country!

“Will we see him again in Germany? I do believe that the 56-year-old will one day become a national or Bayern coach. With the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada & Mexico, the 2028 European Championship in Great Britain & Ireland and the 2030 World Cup in Spain, Portugal & Morocco, there are three tournaments in football-crazy countries. That should appeal to him before Saudi Arabia and China threaten.

“There was regular contact between Bayern and Klopp, but the timing was always bad. Tuchel’s contract term until 2025 fits worryingly well with his planned break. Hoeneß would be able to relax if he wins Klopp for Bayern.

“First, Klopp wants to give Liverpool as many as three titles as a farewell and then give time back to his family. Especially Ms. Ulla, who has had his back for more than 20 years. Because for him she has been “the only one” for more than 20 years.”

‘It’s his right to press the stop button’

Jörg Jakob of Kicker wrote: “When Jürgen Klopp says today that this is no longer sufficient, then the difficult hours in Paris [2022 Champions League final] were the beginning of the end. The announcement that Klopp and Liverpool’s love story will end in the summer came as a surprise – but it is understandable.

“Because Klopp has not only been playing highly intense football since October 2015, he has also been the shaper and face of success in the most demanding and fast-paced league on the planet since his introduction at Anfield Road, as the team manager of a Premier League club required more levels than a head coach in the Bundesliga.

“On the day of the farewell news, the current squad is still well represented in four competitions despite a large number of injuries – and is therefore already better than many observers expected before the round. Things can get really good again in the coming months.

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“It doesn’t matter what people think of you when you come. But what people think of you when you leave. Klopp said that at the very beginning. In the end they will still be at his feet in Liverpool. No matter how this season ends.

“Jürgen Klopp did his best, he gave Liverpool everything, far beyond the actual game. It’s his right to press the stop button after so much heavy metal.”

‘I would lean towards the national team’

Former Liverpool Didi Hamann wrote for Sky Germany: “Germany has lost its greatest ambassador in Franz Beckenbauer. Jürgen Klopp probably comes close behind. He did a lot for Germany’s reputation abroad and for the relationship between Germany and England. That’s why he is revered there. In Liverpool he has managed the mentality to change the whole city. He came and said: ‘We have to change from doubters to believers’ (translated: we have to put aside doubts and believe in ourselves). Creating something like that is almost impossible in today’s world, but he did it.

“Klopp has said that he wants to take a year off. I’m sure we’ll see him again somewhere at some point. Only Real Madrid or FC Barcelona would probably be considered as clubs. But you don’t know what it’s like for them year looks like.

“I would lean towards the national team rather than a club. Maybe if Julian Nagelsmann quits after the European Championships, the DFB can hire an interim coach for a year, even if it wouldn’t be ideal. But if you can get Jürgen Klopp, you may have to wait a year for him so that he can take over the national team in 2025, a year before the World Cup.”

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Dallas Cowboys make baffling decision regarding head coach Mike McCarthy
The Dallas Cowboys are bringing back Mike McCarthy for the 2024 NFL Season.

By Lou Scataglia | Jan 18, 2024

NFC Wild Card Playoffs – Green Bay Packers v Dallas Cowboys / Cooper Neill/GettyImages
News recently broke that Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy would return for the 2024 NFL Season. This is a truly baffling decision. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. That applies to every avenue of life, including sports. After three-straight years of winning 12 games in the regular season and showing poor playoff performances, the Cowboys are somehow still sticking with Mike McCarthy in 2024.

The Cowboys have not advanced past the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs since the mid-90s, before some of you were even born, including myself. Every year that the Cowboys make the postseason, the jokes start about how they won’t do well, and that was the case this year, as the upstart Green Bay Packers walked into Jerry World and dismantled the talented Cowboys.

And after yet another disappointing postseason exit in the Mike McCarthy tenure, Jerry Jones is still going to bring him back in 2024. When you look at McCarthy as a regular season head coach, he boasts a very strong record. He’s gone 42-25 in the regular season with the Cowboys, which is one of the best records in the NFL over the last four seasons. Heck, he is average 10.5 wins per season.

However, the Cowboys are 1-3 in the postseason under McCarthy, clearing hitting a ceiling when the playoffs begin. And each year, their exit from the postseason is the same type of ugly, disappointing performance. In the NFL, teams will not win Super Bowls without taking HUGE risks to some degree.

There are a ton of examples of this in recent memory. The Buffalo Bills made it to the postseason in 2017 with Tyrod Taylor as the starting QB. They rightly recognized that Taylor was not going to lead them to a Super Bowl, so they took a risk in drafting Josh Allen in 2018. The Kansas City Chiefs went 50-26 during the Alex Smith era, but it became clear that Smith was not quite good enough to lead KC to a Super Bowl, so they moved on from him for Patrick Mahomes.

The Denver Broncos went 46-18 when John Fox was their head coach during the 2012-2014 seasons. However, a 3-4 playoff record was simply not good enough, so they moved on from Fox and won a Super Bowl in the next season with Gary Kubiak as the head coach. The Dallas Cowboys have clearly hit a ceiling with their own head coach, and bringing him back for yet another season is truly insane.

And this is especially true when you look at guys like Mike Vrabel and Bill Belichick being free agents. Both Vrabel and Belichick would have been upgrades over McCarthy and have shown, in their own ways, the ability to win tough games with their respective rosters. I think if Jerry Jones was serious about winning, he would have parted ways with McCarthy and shot for the moon for a potential upgrade at head coach.

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OPINIONMohamed Salah injury provides Liverpool’s biggest question since Jurgen Klopp change
Mohamed Salah’s injury provided the latest scare for Liverpool after he was forced off for Egypt against Ghana but the concern provided a reminder to the Reds strikeforce

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ByStephen Killen
06:20, 19 JAN 2024
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Liverpool star Mohamed Salah suffered a suspected muscle injury during Egypt’s Africa Cup of Nations clash with Ghana. (Image: Photo by MB Media/Getty Images)

The live pictures of Mohamed Salah down on his haunches delivered a brutal gut punch that Liverpool supporters will have felt 4,980 miles away.

International breaks and injuries are three words which have repeatedly come to haunt the Reds under Jurgen Klopp. While the extent of the issue is unknown, star man Salah could become the latest unwanted statistic of players who have succumbed to injury while with their national teams.

“So ‘good luck, see you and come back healthy’. That’s pretty much the words,” was the tongue-in-cheek response from the Liverpool manager on his parting words to Salah and Wataru Endo ahead of their respective Africa Cup of Nations and Asia Cup exploits. Now the medical team at the AXA Training Centre anxiously await the report from the Ivory Coast on the fitness of their talisman.

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Facetious as it may have been, the feeling was replicated by those associated with Anfield. And the fears flooded in as Ahmed Hegazi received the captain’s armband from Salah before the 31-year-old left the field of play at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium grimacing.

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Eighteen days ago, Salah departed for the Ivory Coast on a high after scoring twice in the dominant 4-2 win over Newcastle United. The triumph ensured that they remained top of the table, extending their lead to three points.

From then, the onus was placed on those deputising in his place as the baton of responsibility was handed down to Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz. Harvey Elliott could also be afforded with the opportunity to stake his claim as a right-wing option in Salah’s absence.

Liverpool had been bracing for the departure of their 204-goal icon. While Salah has been stepping up his preparations with Rui Vitoria’s side, it has been so far so good for the Reds – a win in the FA Cup over Arsenal, followed up by a comeback triumph against Fulham to hold a first-leg advantage ahead of their Carabao Cup showdown at Craven Cottage on Wednesday.

There are trickier tests to come with a trip to AFC Bournemouth up next before Chelsea, Arsenal and Burnley follow in the Premier League. Notwithstanding any injury, Liverpool were prepared for Salah to lead Egypt throughout the tournament as they looked to atone for their Africa Cup of Nations final disappointment from two years prior.

A lot of talk surrounding Liverpool this season has been around Klopp’s excitement over ‘Liverpool 2.0’. A new, reinvented Liverpool, spearheaded by the arrivals of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Endo and Ryan Gravenberch to provide energy into a previously ageing midfield.

Salah was a key cog of that and was the difference in a strong start to the campaign. Questions around the Reds midfield have surrounded Anfield for many years, but the same scrutiny has never faced the strikeforce with the Egyptian in it.

Liverpool have once again been purring. Thanks to the ever-reliable Alisson Becker plus the surge back to form from Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and the newest heroes in Curtis Jones and Szoboszlai.

Now poses a real test of quality for the remaining front five, undoubtedly one of the most feared on their day alongside Salah. They were more than aware of the pressure that was to come at the turn of the year, with Salah jetting off West Africa, and whether they could carry the torch in his absence, inspiring Liverpool in the blood-and-thunder title race.

While concern looms, Vitoria spoke of his quiet optimism over the severity of Salah’s suspected hamstring injury. He said: “I hope not (a big problem). We don’t know yet what the problem is. I hope it’s not a big problem but it was a problem in the first-half.

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“It was difficult timing for us because in the second half, we could only make two substitutions. But now, I don’t know. It’s early to see something, I think it’s not dangerous but let’s see if Salah recovers.”

Liverpool would have been expecting Salah to return to the fold for the trip to Brentford on February 17. Now, as the wait for concrete information on his issue continues, the worry will grow.

In the meantime, Liverpool’s remaining strikeforce has increased pressure on its biggest challenge to date: to prove their match-winning capabilities in the Egyptians’ absence – possibly beyond the initial timeframe.

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Police Thwart ‘Indian Occult Temple’ Setup In Lagos, Arrest Suspects
NIGERIA
By Ikenna OMEJE On Jan 17, 2024

Police Thwart ‘Indian Occult Temple’ Setup In Lagos, Arrest Suspects
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Two men have been arrested in Lagos State for allegedly trying to set up an occultic shrine named ‘Indian Occultic Temple’.

Their intention, it was gathered, was to defraud victims by making them believe that the oracle has powers to make them rich and successful.

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The two men, Ifeanyi Nwodo and Dainel Johnson, were seen making occultic pratices around Agufoye area of Ikorodu, which led to their arrest.

They were among 34 suspects paraded on Wednesday at the state’s police command, Ikeja for engaging in varying crimes including armed robbery, stealing, cultism and unlawful possession of firearms, among others.

“On January 13, 2024, at about 1500 hrs, based on credible intelligence that some boys were seen making occultic pratices around Agufoye area of Ikorodu, operatives of the Command swiftly arrested one Ifeanyi Nwodo ‘m’ aged 39 and Dainel Johnson ‘m’ aged 32.

“Investigations revealed that they were trying to set up their occultic shrine named ‘Indian Occultic Temple’ with intent to defraud victims by making them believe that the oracle has powers of making them rich and successful. Several occult items including moulded human head, crafted human effigies were found in their shrine,” the Commissioner of Police, CP Fayoade Adegoke, said at a press briefing.

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Adegoke, who is approximately one month in office as CP of Lagos, said a total of 16 firearms were recovered in the last one month, including a toy pistol, 72 live cartridges, 75 live ammunition, one expended cartridge, one pistol magazine, six axes, four daggers, one digger, five cutlasses, two vehicles, one POS Machine, fake registration plates and various charms.

“…it is with great sense of professional fulfilment I stand before you today to present to you our achievements in Lagos State Command since my assumption of duty approximately a month ago. Before you today we have a total of thirty-four (34) suspects who have engaged in varying crimes including armed robbery, stealing, cultism and unlawful possession of firearms etc.

“From all these cases which we successfully cracked, we recovered a total of sixteen (16) firearms including a toy pistol, seventy-two (72) live cartridges, seventy-five (75) live ammunition, one expended cartridge, one pistol magazine, six axes, four daggers, one digger, five cutlasses, two (2) vehicles, one POS Machine, fake registration plates and various charms,” the CP said.

According to Adegoke, all suspects would be charged to court at the conclusion of investigation.

He assured Lagosians that the command under his watch would continue to do everything operationally possible to ensure that crime and criminality is brought to the barest minimum in the state.

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Daniel JohnsonIndian Occultic Temple
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