Xabi Alonso made his high-profile return to Anfield on Tuesday evening as his Bayer Leverkusen side faced Liverpool in the Champions League and were thrashed 4-0
Xabi Alonso made his high-profile return to Anfield on Tuesday evening as his Bayer Leverkusen side faced Liverpool in the Champions League and were thrashed 4-0 Xabi Alonso made his high-profile return to Anfield on Tuesday evening as his Bayer Leverkusen side faced Liverpool in the Champions League and were thrashed 4-0
Xabi Alonso made it clear that he’ll ‘always be a Scouser’ during his emotional return to Liverpool on Tuesday.
Ex-Reds midfielder Alonso came back to Anfield managing Bayer Leverkusen, who he spectacularly led to the Bundesliga title last season. The kings of Germany suffered a thrashing in their Champions League matchup, losing 4-0 after collapsing in the second half.
But it could’ve been Alonso enjoying the win in the home dugout, as he turned down the Liverpool job back in March. After legendary boss Jurgen Klopp announced in January that he’d be leaving Anfield after eight-and-a-half years, Alonso was quickly installed as the favourite.
That was despite the Spaniard being yet to complete a full season in management at the time. Alonso, 42, decided to remain loyal to Leverkusen, though, promising to stay for at least one more year.
In came Arne Slot for the Reds and given his excellent start, it appears that both parties are more than happy with how things panned out. Alonso clearly still loves Liverpool, however, as new behind-the-scenes footage from Tuesday’s match shows.
A video posted on Leverkusen’s YouTube channel shows the former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich star chatting with two female members of staff in an Anfield office. “Always a Scouser, still a Red,” Alonso told them with a smile as he waved goodbye.
The footage also showed the 42-year-old touching the famous ‘This Is Anfield’ sign before kick-off in the second half. Liverpool also allowed Leverkusen to use their AXA Training Complex in Kirkby the following day.
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Image:
Bayer Leverkusen)
Alonso’s actions were no surprise given his comments pre and post-match. “For sure it feels great. After a few years, to be back here is always special. You notice the development of the club, I see the new Anfield Road Stand, it looks pretty amazing,” he hailed ahead of the game.
After Liverpool scored four answered second-half goals, Alonso admitted to Amazon Prime Video Sport: “I will try to separate the game and the pain of the result from the nice feelings to come back and be able to say hi. For sure, I would have loved another result but I am happy for the reception.”
He also said: “They are a very complete team. Between attack and defense, they work a lot, all 11 players. They are powerful in the boxes and that is very important in the Champions League – with not that much, they score four goals. That is a big strength in the Champions League – and in the Premier League, let’s see.”
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