Xavi announced last month that he would be leaving Barcelona after the 2023–24 season. The decision was announced after Barcelona suffered a 5-3 loss against Villareal at a home game. Barcelona is way behind the top in La Liga and has also been knocked out of the Copa del Ray and faced a defeat in the finals of the Spanish Cup against their arch-rivals Real Madrid.
Such poor results have ended Xavi’s career as a manager of Barcelona. Rumor has it that a former Madridista appears to be the probable choice to replace Xavi at Barcelona.
Barcelona to compete with Liverpool for Xabi Alonso
After Xavi’s announcement, Barcelona started the search for their next manager. The front runners for the managerial position are Jurgen Klopp, Xabi Alonso, and Jose Mourinho.
Jurgen Klopp recently announced that he is quitting his job at Liverpool after winning seven trophies with them. As a manager, in his 466 matches, he has won 283, drawn 105, and lost only 78. He has a 60.7% winning rate, with the Champions League 2018-19 to his name.
Xabi Alonso, the current Bayern Leverkusen coach, is strongly linked to a Liverpool move but has not made his decision yet. Barcelona would like to have him on their side as his style of coaching matches with Pep Guardiola.
Liverpool will be Barcelona’s biggest obstacle to getting Xabi Alonso on their side, as he is a former Liverpool player who would tend to move towards Anfield. Another obstacle for Barcelona is that Xabi Alonso is also a former Real Madrid player, which would play a huge part in his decision to join Barcelona.
Jose Mourinho is also another name that appears on the list. The special one joined Barcelona in 1996 as a club assistant but has a complicated relationship with the club. He was rejected for the manager job at the club in 2008. But his current exit from Roma has made him a contender to replace Xavi. Even Chelsea is reportedly competing for his services for the third time.
Xabi Alonso is the most popular candidate among the three managers, thanks to his impressive work at Bayern Leverkusen, which has garnered attention from the football world.
Xabi Alonso’s coaching resume
Bayern Leverkusen is different now that Xabi Alonso is on the team. The team has made remarkable progress. The only team in Europe that is still unbeaten this season is Leverkusen.
Alonso has brought tactical innovations to the team. As a player, he has played under some legendary managers such as Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti. So he brings a mixture of ideologies to his management skills.
He emphasizes giving players the freedom to make their own decisions while also maintaining tactical awareness.
Alonso started his managerial career at Real Sociedad by managing their B team. He spent three years at the club before signing for Bayern Leverkusen in October 2022. He replaced Gerardo Seone and joined the team that is second from the bottom of the table after eight Bundesliga games. He also guided the team to the semi-final of the UEFA Europa League.
In the current situation, Bayern Leverkusen is at the top of the Bundesliga with a two-point lead over Bayern Munich and has not lost even a single match.
Where do you think Xabi Alonso will move next? Please leave your feedback in the comment section.
