Could Xabi Alonso fix Liverpool’s problems?

Welcome to The Athletic FC's YouTube channel, where best-in-class journalism meets video. Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid were sitting at the top of the La Liga table, 7 points clear of their rivals Barcelona, just a few weeks ago. Now they are trailing behind the league leaders by 4 points and everything seems to be falling apart both on and off the pitch, and Alonso’s job is in danger… Meanwhile, Arne Slot seems to have steadied the ship at Liverpool. But, defensive problems persist, Florian Wirtz continues to be underutilised and this week, star player Mohamed Salah stole the headlines by speaking in public about him being benched and his relationship with Slot deteriorating. With both teams in crisis, Ayo Akinwolere is joined by Jon Mackenzie and JJ Bull to figure out what’s gone wrong at Real Madrid and Liverpool, and could Xabi Alonso, hypothetically, fix Liverpool's problems? ------------ Timestamps: 00:00 Could Xabi Alonso fix Liverpool’s problems? 00:44 What’s gone wrong at Real Madrid? 05:51 How Alonso gets the best out of players 14:21 Aston Villa’s wild resurgence | What’s Changed? With BOYLE Sports 15:26 Can Liverpool get the best out of Wirtz? 16:23 Alonso’s tactical ideas at Liverpool: a thought experiment 20:58 Similar issues at Real Madrid and Liverpool #liverpool #realmadrid #premierleague #football #tactics ------------ Try The Athletic for FREE for 30 days: https://theathletic.com/checkout2/intro30/?source=video_youtube_theathleticfc Watch our latest uploads here 👉 https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9HdRjQJ0mH6bJW9MeLavdgTi-vMbJtrg&si=uKJJXdcnzAYGWiJo 💻 🎧 Watch the Tifo Football Podcast here https://www.youtube.com/@tifo-podcast 📬 Sign up for The Athletic FC Newsletter here for free: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/newsletters/the-athletic-fc/ Follow The Athletic FC: Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheAthleticFC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAthleticFC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theathleticfc TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theathleticfc Listen to The Athletic Football Podcast: Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/TAFPod Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/69AAB4ojTuK7gwy3ZdQdB9 Subscribe to The Athletic FC newsletter for free: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/newsletters/the-athletic-fc/ Follow The Athletic's Premier League WhatsApp Channel here: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va4OzCyKwqSbZb1pna0K ------------ Additional footage sourced from AP Newsroom