How a Xabi Alonso Liverpool team could look compared with Klopp’s current side

Xabi Alonso is one of the candidates to be the successor to Jurgen Klopp next season, but what philosophy would he bring to Anfield and how does it compare to Liverpool’s current style of play? 

The short body of work Alonso has amassed at Bayer Leverkusen has already made him one of the most sought-after coaches in European football. His tactics are certainly unique and it would be interesting to see how he would overhaul a Liverpool team that has been so absorbed by Klopp’s methods over the years. 

Klopp is a strong proponent of gegenpressing and counter-attacking football, which he has successfully implemented during his eight-and-a-half-year tenure at the club, and previously at Borussia Dortmund. 

The current batch of players at Liverpool have been drilled into Klopp’s style of play and if Alonso was appointed as the new manager on Merseyside, it would take time to adapt to a new, and certainly different, system. 

What systems has Alonso used?

At Real Sociedad B, where Alonso started his managerial career in 2019, he initially used a 4-3-3 and of all the Spaniard’s tactical setups, this was the one closest to what Klopp deploys at Liverpool. His Sociedad team flourished in progressing the ball to goal efficiently through central areas, whilst also adopting a high press in the opposition’s half. 

In his first season at Bayer Leverkusen, Alonso advanced his tactical nous by switching to a 3-4-3. In this structure, he could either deploy two number 10s in front of a double pivot, with width provided by the wing-backs or he would opt for a flat front three with the wingbacks then supporting from a deeper and narrower position – essentially creating a front five when in possession.  

This season, the Spaniard has looked to instil more intricate passing sequences whilst maintaining the original setup, so has changed to a 3-4-2-1. Liverpool’s midfield consists of players such as Alexis MacAllister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch. They are suitable options that could thrive in that number 10 setup that Alonso fancies, as opposed to the more robust midfield Liverpool once had with Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum and Fabinho.

Different use of full-backs and attacking players

Like Liverpool, Leverkusen are heavily reliant on their full back’s creativity. Alejandro Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong have 31 goal contributions combined in the Bundesliga this season, which is not too dissimilar to the numbers that Trent-Alexander Arnold and Andrew Robertson have posted in previous seasons. 

Having said that, Alonso is not a big advocate of crossing into the box. During his first season in Germany, Leverkusen recorded the second-lowest number of crosses in the Bundesliga. That same season, Liverpool ranked first in the Premier League for crosses, with deliveries into the box from the full-backs one of Klopp’s most potent weapons.

Grimaldo and Frimpong have such high numbers because they play inverted roles and crossing is not something Alonso encourages upon them as he feels they have much more to offer in the final third. We see Alexander-Arnold often moving into midfield for Liverpool, but his role is to become a holding midfielder sitting in front of the backline when in possesion.

Grimaldo plays that inverted role too, but he’s almost like an additional number 10, hence his creative output. This also points to a difference in the frontlines of Liverpool and Leverkusen. 

Victor Boniface is thriving up top for the German outfit this season and is seen as the vocal point of an attack made up of Florian Wirtz, Nathan Tella and/or Jonas Hofmann, who all support from the two number 10 positions. This is very different to how Liverpool operate, with Klopp utilising an interchangeable front three consisting of dynamic attackers who can play out wide or through the middle.

Similarities between the two

Comparing Liverpool and Leverkusen’s short passing game also offers an interesting insight. This season, Leverkusen (7698) ranks first for short passes among the 96 teams in Europe’s major leagues, whereas Liverpool (5750) are much further down the list.  

Leverkusen take a measured approach towards reaching the goal whereas Liverpool rely mainly on fast-paced turnovers or blistering counter-attacks to create their openings. With that, there are similarities with the way both teams press the ball. Leverkusen have won back possession in the final third 54 times this season while Liverpool have won it 72 times.

The numbers, particularly the passing metrics, suggest that Alonso’s style of play is much more reminiscent of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, and it’s no surprise given that Alonso was coached by Guardiola whilst the pair were at Bayern Munich.  

Having said that, Alonso has shown that he is tactically flexible, especially with how he reinvigorated his philosophy when moving from Sociedad to Leverkusen. At Liverpool, Alonso might look to merge his style of play with the one Klopp has embedded, or he could rip up the carpet.

His rise as one of the brightest managerial prospects in world football has coincided perfectly with Klopp’s departure. It’s been timely for Liverpool, and it seems like Alonso is the ideal replacement.

The tactical setups of Liverpool and Leverkusen aren’t completely different from one another and it would be fascinating to see how Alonso would perform with the current crop of gifted players at Anfield. 

The Spaniard has shown he is versatile enough to change his methods to accommodate the players at his disposal, so there’s no reason why he wouldn’t seamlessly fit in at Liverpool. One way or another, whether it’s Alonso or not, a new brand of football will be showcased at Anfield next season.