Steven Gerrard has waxed lyrical about a player who he used to line up alongside at Liverpool.
Steven Gerrard developed great connections with a number of players during the 17 years he spent in Liverpool’s senior team.
One of the best partnerships he had was with Xabi Alonso, a midfielder who had the knowledge and maturity of a coach, according to Gerrard.
“I’m not surprised by his rise and where he’s at because as a player, student of the game, very clever, spoke sense, understood the game, all facets of the game in and out of possession,” Gerrard told Rio Ferdinand Presents.
“It was like you’re playing with a coach when you played with him. You can listen to Xabi all day long. He was a coach in a player’s body if you like and Rafa [Benitez] will tell you that.
“The reason he brought Xabi to Liverpool was because he knew it all. His dad was an ex-player coach, all this stuff, so no surprise.”
With Alonso’s insights and his ability to lead, it is not surprising he landed a coaching role at Bayer Leverkusen a few years ago.
The Spaniard did a terrific job there, winning the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal after the club went more than 30 years without lifting silverware.
Alonso has since landed a job at Real Madrid, the team he joined after leaving Liverpool. Although the European giants are top of La Liga, they did stumble during a visit to Anfield in the Champions League.
There is also said to be unrest at the club, with some first-team players reportedly unhappy with Alonso being in charge.
However, Gerrard has already given his backing to the man he played with at Liverpool and insists he has shown himself to be an excellent manager.
He added: “Delighted for him as a human being, top. As a player, top. I’m sure if he continues the way he’s going, he’s going to be a top manager as well. He’s already proved in a short space of time, he’s been extremely good.”
