Xabi Alonso has insisted that working with good players at Bayer Leverkusen is the secret behind his tremendous success.
The former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder has been a revelation in his first senior management role at Leverkusen, who won their first-ever Bundesliga title last weekend under his stewardship. The German outfit are yet to taste defeat this season and are also in the semi-finals of the Europa League after holding off West Ham over two legs.
Alonso, 42, was recently linked with the top job at both Liverpool and Bayern Munich but remains committed to Leverkusen. And when he was asked to explain the factors behind his success, he deflected praise to his team.
Alonso told TNT Sports: "It's mostly down to having good players and that they know how to adapt to different systems so the systems are not that important. It's about more our principles and how we are able to go from Union Berlin, for example, one week and then to have Bayern at home [the players] are able to adapt to different circumstances.
"For sure, this year, we [have been] able to be very consistent in our performances and our level. In attack and defence [we play] with determination and power, we're not a soft team. The season is not over; hopefully, we have a few games to go in the Europa League, so let's see. With good players, it's easier."
Alonso's comments are intriguing given that a report from The Telegraph outlined that one of the factors behind Jurgen Klopp's decision to leave Liverpool was the speed at which his new-look team have gelled this season.
Join the debate! Do you think Alonso will end up back at Liverpool one day? Let us know here.
It was claimed Klopp was planning to oversee a transition period after rebuilding in the transfer window but changed his mind with Liverpool's new-look team back in the title picture.
He even alluded to this in his leaving statement, saying: "Last season was kind of a super-difficult season and there were moments when at other clubs probably the decision would have been, 'Come on, thank you very much for everything but probably we should split here, or end it here.' That didn't happen here, obviously.
"For me, it was super, super, super-important that I can help to bring this team back onto the rails. It was all I was thinking about. When I realised pretty early that happened, it was a really good team with massive potential and a super age group, super characters and all that, then I could start thinking about myself again and that was the outcome. It is not what I want to [do], it is just what I think is 100 per cent right."
Join our new WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.