Who will be Liverpool’s next boss? We still can’t say for sure – but we do know who they admire the most. If the outgoing manager were the only person to decide – the new Reds gaffer would be the current Bundesliga miracle-maker. Jurgen Klopp has offered high praise for Xabi Alonso, touting the Bayer Leverkusen coach as a standout among the next generation of top managers and a leading contender to succeed him at Liverpool.Alonso is currently the frontrunner to take over at Anfield at the end of the season, given his remarkable achievements at Bayer Leverkusen, where he has transformed the team from second bottom of the Bundesliga to a five-point lead at the top in just 16 months. Under the Spaniard’s guidance, Leverkusen has also reached the semi-finals of the German Cup and the Europa League, showcasing their dominance with a notable 3-0 victory over Bayern Munich last weekend.”Xabi is doing an incredible job” 👏Jurgen Klopp has high praise for Bayern Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso 🤝 pic.twitter.com/FTWmUcvwes— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) February 17, 2024 Klopp’s admiration for Alonso is not merely due to the impending vacancy at Anfield but stems from the Spaniard’s exceptional coaching abilities. Speaking ahead of today’s game at Brentford, Klopp emphasized Xabi’s background as a former world-class player and his coaching pedigree.”He’s a former world-class player, from a coaching family as well which helps a little, he was like a coach already when he was playing. The football he is playing, the teams he sets up, the transfers he did, it is absolutely exceptional. He has super signings for this team, exactly what they needed, and that’s really a very special job. Leverkusen has a very good chance to win the cup. When you look through the Europa League, Leverkusen is one of the favourites there as well so it could be the season for Leverkusen. Really crazy.”##NAJAVA_MECA_7881207##The German highlighted Leverkusen’s impressive performances under Alonso, particularly their dominance against Bayern, which he deemed a significant achievement given the short duration of Alonso’s tenure and the youthful composition of the team. Alonso’s immediate impact at Leverkusen has impressed Klopp the most, noting the rapid transformation of the team under his guidance and his ability to imprint his style of play effectively.Focusing on today, Liverpool will be without goalkeeper Alisson for their upcoming match against Brentford after he sustained a hamstring injury in training.Brentford had been under a lot of pressure before their last Premier League game against Wolves. They had lost seven of their last eight top-flight games (winning only one) and were in danger of being relegated. However, their manager, Thomas Frank, led them to a fine 2-0 victory in Wolverhampton, which eased the pressure and gave them a six-point gap over the bottom three.🔴 Jurgen Klopp: “Xabi Alonso is doing an incredible job”.“Even if you would have asked me eight weeks ago about Xabi Alonso, I would have gone: oh my God!”.“The next generation is already there and I would say Xabi Alonso is standout in that department”“He’s exceptional”. pic.twitter.com/OJik0y5kNr— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 16, 2024 Brentford Community Stadium can now breathe a sigh of relief and hope for another positive performance by the Bees. Their last two home games saw them beat Nottingham Forest 3-2 and take the lead against Manchester City before losing 3-1. However, their backline still needs to improve as they have only kept one clean sheet in 14 home games this season. The visit of league-leaders Liverpool will provide another difficult test to the red-and-white defence.ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUESaturday15.30: (5.40) Brentford (4.00) Liverpool (1.62)18.00: (9.50) Burnley (5.30) Arsenal (1.32)18.00: (3.10) Fulham (3.60) Aston Villa (2.35)18.00: (2.50) Nott.Forest (3.45) West Ham (2.95)18.00: (1.83) Newcastle (3.70) Bournemouth (4.20)20.30: (1.37) Man.City (5.10) Chelsea (7.75)Sunday17.00: (5.10) Sheffield Utd (3.70) Brighton (1.70)19.30: (4.10) Luton (4.00) Man.Utd. (1.80)Monday23.00: (1.80) Everton (3.60) Crystal Palace (5.10)***odds are subject to change
