If there ever was a player who embodied the way Rafa Benitez wanted his Liverpool side to play, it was Xabi Alonso.
He was comfortable on the ball, able to ping a pass with both feet with the vision and ability to play the exact ball he wanted. He was great in possession and did not shy away from a challenge.
Ahead of the Liverpool – Bayer Leverkusen Champions League clash, Mersey Sport Live takes a deep dive into Alonso’s statistics, both as a Liverpool player and an opposition head coach for his return to Anfield on Tuesday.
During his time at Anfield he registered 16 goals and 19 assists, an impressive feat for a more defensive minded player. The pick of the bunch was his 65-yard effort in the 5-3 FA Cup win over Luton in January 2006.
Alonso’s most prolific seasons were all spent under the eye of the Kop and this reflects in his shots on target throughout his career, peaking at Liverpool where he averaged 16 shots on target a season compared to an average of 4.5 shots on target a season throughout his career at other clubs, notably Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
In terms of discipline, Alonso’s time in Liverpool was on the brighter side of his career too. He committed less fouls for Liverpool than at any point in his career. He also received less yellow cards here than in any other team.
His relationship with referees definitely soured when he moved back to Spain to play for Real Madrid in 2009. His four years in Madrid resulted in his four worst seasons for ill discipline.
Pivoting to his managerial career and his statistics become really impressive. Just as he hit the ground running at Sociedad as a player, he did the same as a manager of their B team 20 years on.
Performances were so impressive that it landed him a job at a relegation threatened Bayer Leverkusen. This same Leverkusen was transformed by Alonso and he became the first manager to win the Bundesliga unbeaten only one year after taking the reins at the club.
His side love to leave it late, with 21 goals scored after the 90th minute in the 23/24 season. This shows a vast difference between his playing career and the way his teams play as Alonso himself only ever scored one goal after the 90th minute – that same long range freekick vs Luton Town in the FA Cup for Liverpool.
Liverpool have a lot to think about ahead of Tuesday’s clash. Leverkusen have adopted a very abstract style of play under Alonso. Teams find it very hard to escape their press due to their centre backs pressing high into the midfield to recover the ball.
Their defenders also have very high output. This is best shown by Alex Grimaldo, the Spanish fullback provided the most combined goals and assists for Alonso’s side last season.
The importance of their defenders in attack in Alonso’s system cannot be understated, similar to Liverpool in the way Trent Alexander Arnold and Andy Robertson contribute in their assists every season – but on another level where the defenders seem to be their main goalscoring outlet. This is similar to Alonso’s time at Liverpool where he was significantly more attacking than later in his career despite being a defensive minded player.
The return of Alonso on a European night at Anfield will be special. It will be his first time facing the Reds as a coach, but more importantly in his entire career as he never played Liverpool even as a player.
He is likely to receive a warm welcome from the fans who will remember his penalty scoring exploits in Istanbul in 2005. However, emotions will have to be put on hold for the Spaniard as Leverkusen look to steal the points off Arne Slot’s side.
