The cold and wind accelerate frozen by the Mersey River to start the month of November, and almost no one dares to walk along the docks of Liverpool. The sun has been hidden for several weeks, and coats and hats are a must to walk around Royal Albert Dock, once the nerve center of trade in this part of the United Kingdom, now a tourist attraction and always the area with the lowest temperatures in the city. It is surprising to see that a young footballer like Xabi Alonso, who had just arrived from Spain at 22 years old, decided to live in an apartment in the city center instead of a large house in the region's interior, shielded from photographers, fans, and low temperatures.
"He embraced the life of Liverpool, lived in the center, and became a link between the old guard of the dressing room and the newcomers from Spain," recalled Jamie Carragher, a legend of the British team. The statue of The Beatles continues to attract tourists to the docks of Albert Dock, in a straight line with The Cavern, the group's birthplace pub and the hub of leisure in Liverpool.
The Real Madrid coach returns tonight to Anfield 21 years after his signing with the English club. It won't be his first time, after debuting as a visiting coach last season with Bayer Leverkusen, but it connects two of the three worlds of his football career: the 'red' and the white, leaving aside emotionally the txuri-urdin.
He does so, moreover, at a crucial moment for his tenure in the Chamartín bench: in the midst of a winning streak, six in a row and 13 out of 14 between La Liga and the Champions League, and once the controversy surrounding his relationship with Vinicius Júnior has been, for now, overcome. An interesting situation that surely brings back memories of Liverpool, where he experienced moments of success and tension with Rafa Benítez. The Spanish coach convinced him to sign for the Reds in 2004, they won a Champions League together in the famous 'Miracle of Istanbul' in 2005, where Xabi scored one of the goals, and they ended up parting ways amid tensions, direct messages, and requests.
In 2008, Benítez asked him to leave in order to sign Gareth Barry, the Aston Villa captain who eventually signed with City. And in 2009, Alonso, who had stayed despite interest from several top clubs, ended up leaving for Madrid against the coach's wishes, who at that moment did want him in the squad.
"Everyone knows that a player appreciates feeling wanted, a pat on the back from time to time, but Rafa is not that kind of person," Alonso admitted after his departure in an interview with Champions Magazine. "In 2009, I had nothing left to prove or an extra motivation. And I told Rafa: 'Last year you wanted me out and now it's me who wants to leave'," he said in another interview published by Liverpool years later.
Benítez is one of the coaches who influenced Alonso's career as a coach, but a step below Guardiola and Mourinho, key figures in understanding the Basque's significance in the dugouts. From the Catalan, he learned about pressure after losing possession and the importance of occupying spaces, and from the Portuguese, he learned about verticality and defensive strength. From both, however, he learned and copied the need for closeness between the player and the coach.
This is how he has tried to manage Vinicius' anger. He gave the player space, who needed a couple of days to apologize to the group, and from there he tries to regain sensations with the Brazilian with a "direct and sincere" relationship. "The most important thing is to be authentic and have a direct and sincere relationship, knowing each one's role and always thinking about what is best for the team," he explained on Friday.
And perhaps there is something of Benítez in that. Direct when in 2008 he told him he had to find a new team. "Rafa doesn't operate like other coaches, he keeps emotional distance, he is the coach and you are the player, that's how he likes it and you have to accept it," he said in The People years ago.
Xabi's departure to Madrid disrupted Liverpool, which finished seventh in the Premier League after having fought for the title in Alonso's final year. A failure that led to Benítez's dismissal. "He was a strong character and loved by the fans, so when Benítez wanted to sell him, there was a lot of uproar. It was a crucial moment. When he left, our team's functioning broke down, his departure affected everyone," explained Carragher.
21 years after signing for Liverpool and 16 years after leaving Anfield to sign for Madrid, Xabi set foot again in Anfield yesterday, where he, along with Arnold, Huijsen, and Emilio Butragueño, honored the memory of Diogo Jota. "The time at Liverpool has influenced my career as a coach a lot, and I remember many things that help me in my daily life, for sure. I learned a lot from Rafa," he admitted yesterday.