After Xabi Alonso endured a slight World Cup hangover and started the season off poorly by his own standards, it’s no co-incidence that the Reds have started looking like a different team lately as our Spanish maestro steps his seemingly effortless game up.

When Alonso was signed in the summer of 2004, internet forums and workplaces were awash with avid Spanish football watchers heralding the Basque’s arrival for £10.5m. In recent Liverpool history, it has been these kind of arrivals that have resulted in the biggest disapointments, but from the moment he made his home debut, spreading passes from left to right to the delight of the drooling Kop against a helpless Norwich City, Alonso was a firm favourite with team mates, management and especially on the terraces.
The away game that season against Fulham only added to his already hero status, as he replaced the hapless Salif Diao and changed the game from a certain defeat to a (sort of) resounding victory. His comeback performances against Juventus, after playing just fourty five minutes in three months, and role in the European Cup win ensured the Spaniard got the credit across Europe he deserved.

There’s no-one better to watch than Alonso. His technique at striking a ball is something I could watch all day, from controlling a strike at goal in mid air, to putting just enough curl on a pass, as the banner says “Piccaso’s a Painter, Alonso’s an artist”.

He’s an excellent ball winner too, never shirking a tackle. Whilst of our Spanish contingent Josemi didn’t think whilst tackling and Garcia doesn’t think of challenging, Alonso never dives in uneccessarily and rarely misjudges his challenges. His positioning, especially when he sticks to the centre circle, means he’s usually the first pass Pepe or the back four can make, and he’s in a prime position to thread passes between defence and attack.
It’s not as black and white as saying that when Alonso plays well, Liverpool play well, but having him on song in the middle makes a huge difference in whether we see the early season Liverpool or the Liverpool that have made strides towards moving up the table of late.

And that’s why “Everyone wants to know … Alonso, Alonso, Alonso …”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 19th, 2006 at 2:45 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.