Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has revealed that he wished Xabi Alonso would become manager of the Merseysiders following Jurgen Klopp's departure. Now, with Alonso at Chelsea, Gerrard is keeping a close eye on his former teammate's exploits.
The two enjoyed a successful partnership at Liverpool, featuring together in 165 matches, clinching the Champions League and the FA Cup during their time.
When Klopp announced his impending exit in January 2024, Alonso was widely viewed as a prime candidate to replace him, especially after an impressive stint at Bayer Leverkusen where he led the team to an unbeaten Bundesliga title and a DFB-Pokal triumph, as well as reaching the Europa League final.
However, Alonso opted to stay at Leverkusen, and Liverpool ultimately turned to Arne Slot as Klopp's successor.
Speaking during an appearance on The Overlap, Gerrard admitted:
I wanted him to come to Liverpool. At that time, it was a choice between him and Slot, right?
Slot has done excellently, winning the championship in his first season, but I wanted Xabi.
When asked if he would have joined Alonso’s coaching staff had he taken over at Liverpool, Gerrard responded:
Would I have liked that? Of course. But I think Xabi already has his team of specialists he worked with at Bayer.
I'm sure he had been assembling that staff and thinking about who he wanted to work with long before he prepared to become a manager.
He probably wouldn’t need someone like me. But seeing him at Liverpool would have been incredibly interesting.
Now, Gerrard is watching Alonso's progress at Chelsea with intrigue.
He noted:
I think he’s started quite well. There have been some setbacks; perhaps the team has conceded too many goals, but he has some interesting players at his disposal.
I like his attacking style. I admired what he did at Bayer, so he deserves this opportunity.
Nevertheless, Gerrard is sceptical about Chelsea's chances of clinching the Premier League title in Alonso's first season.
He believes the attacking potential within the squad is enough to outplay most opponents, but the defence currently falls short of title-winning standards.
Gerrard explained:
I think they’re a bit short in that department. They can comfortably beat 70-80 percent of the league because they possess massive attacking talent.
If they continue playing like this, they’ll score more than most opponents. But the issue is how many they concede.
Are they strong enough defensively to challenge for the title in year one? I think not yet.
That said, Gerrard is optimistic about Chelsea's future with Alonso at the helm.
He added:
For Chelsea fans, this is an exciting time. The team has a lot of quality players.
If the club continues to strengthen wisely, I think with Xabi and his staff, they’ll soon be serious contenders for the title.
But this season might still be a bit too soon.
