Xabi speaks

[saj]

Rafa turned down every offer from Juventus for Xabi and so did the player.

It was nothing more than a normal transfer. Xabi is a professional player and that means that he accepts that sometimes the decision to move isn't yours to make. Sometimes the club want to sell you. If you can't accept that then you simply don't understand what being a professional player is all about.

The players use the clubs to get paid better and the clubs use the player sometimes to get a better transfer fee. It's just the way it's.

If Xabi can't live with that it's up to the club he play for when they want to sell him then he is being more than a bit silly.

Just accept it and move on. It happens time after time that a player that a club want to sell end up staying and then put that behind him. The life of a professional player. Live with it.

I haven't got an issue. He's gone. We've moved on, and moved on backwards unfortunately. My only gripe is that people seem to think that he left out of his own will, he was desperate to go, his family weren't happy and that the Gareth Barry situation didn't influence his decision. The fact is, Rafa ****ed up but people will not accept that...watch the video above! And Xabi did not turn down Juventus: if you recall, he said they would be an interesting team to play for. Liverpool turned all their bids as you have correctly said.

[Eric Swindler]

Xabi left because Rafa tried to sell him the previous summer. No other reason. I have spanish mates that heard it from the horses mouth. In fact, there were anti rafa chants at Xabi's wedding in the summer of 2009. Shame, but true nonetheless.

[Fan65]

****ing top bloke and a great player.

I'd love to see him back at LFC in any sort of capacity...one day.

Then you could use your proper name again eh?

[Craig_H]

To put people's minds to rest:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...us/8384196.stm

Forward to 2.50...this is where Xabi specifically says THE CLUB TRIED TO SELL HIM AGAINST HIS WILL...

I have a feeling people will still believe that he left because of family reasons even though in the same interview he says he loved Liverpool as a city!!!

He speaks so well, extremely intelligent lad, articulate, a rolls-royce of a footballer, utterly world class and he totally GOT Liverpool, he got the culture, he got the club, he got the city and most of all, he got US the fans.

[Kenneth]

Don't buy the idea that Keane was a failure becuase we didn't sign Barry. Keane had the chances, he was just a ****ing mess in the final third. Could nobody feed Keane on the left except for Barry? Sounds unconvincing.

Still, water under the bridge, unless you're someone with an overwhelming need to defend any criticism, direct or indirect, of Rafa

[Rich]

Aye, water well under the bridge. Plenty of monumental problems

No Rafa Benitez
No Xabi Alonso
No Javier Mascherano
No Alvaro Arbeloa
No Sami Hyypia
No Albert Reira

That's a top class manager and half a team from two years ago we've "lost".

[dww]

Don't buy the idea that Keane was a failure becuase we didn't sign Barry. Keane had the chances, he was just a ****ing mess in the final third. Could nobody feed Keane on the left except for Barry? Sounds unconvincing.

Still, water under the bridge, unless you're someone with an overwhelming need to defend any criticism, direct or indirect, of Rafa

I think it is a combination of factors of which that might be the main part from Rafas point of view. I think the problem was that he tried to compromise - the result being that Keane got in the way of both Gerrard and Torres. Perhaps with Barry there Rafa would have been looking for a different shape from the team overall.

The only game in which Keane looked well suited to the team was away at United where he was up front with Kuyt in a very different role to the one that he occupied when paired with Torres. Not sure whether/how Barry would have impacted upon that.

[Kenneth]

Xabi left because Rafa tried to sell him the previous summer. No other reason. I have spanish mates that heard it from the horses mouth. In fact, there were anti rafa chants at Xabi's wedding in the summer of 2009. Shame, but true nonetheless.

'No other reason' is a bit strong, I'm sure there were are myriad of considerations, as there would be for anyone thinking of upping sticks to move abroad.

[Neil Young]

I don't think a player would make a decision like moving clubs/country based on speculation of that sort. While possible, I think it's unlikely. We'd just come second, which would probably have removed such fears he may have had the previous summer.

Of course I agree with that. But I wasn't referring to speculation - being on the inside he may have had a sense (at least) that things were about to turn to dust. He also may have thought/gathered/learned Benitez intended to rebuild the team and that he wasn't required in the long term.

I'm simply saying he made a good move at the right time. Maybe that was luck but maybe there was more to it.

'No other reason' is a bit strong, I'm sure there were are myriad of considerations, as there would be for anyone thinking of upping sticks to move abroad.

I doubt he'd have left if Middlesbrough were the only possible destination. Or for less money instead of a pay rise and a lower tax rate. And so on.

[BG1973]

The topic's been discussed ****loads on here mate. Not your fault, of course

I personally think it was a catastrophic decision and we paid for it badly last season, as the initial period of adjustment from Alonso's loss hurt us.

We're arguably yet to have recovered from it and learnt to play effectively without him. To my mind, it was Rafa's single biggest error of judgement.

Can't disagree with that. But should be said Rafa based his decision on Xabi's two previous seasons. Xabi then had his best season ever and made the decision look senseless - especially when we missed out on Barry - for less money than villa were looking for the previous season.

Massive shame as his quality on the pitch was only ever outshone by his quality off it.

A footballer with brains, a true playmaker.

[rushscored4]

I have a mate called John who is a massive Man United fan and goes home and away (he even played a gig for 10,000 fans at the tented village outside Milan for the 2009 CL Final). Despite that he's a really decent lad and he has a lot of time for Liverpool the city although he hates Liverpool FC which is how it should be!

By day he is the credit controller for a well-known clothing range based in Trafford Park and one of the foreign agents is a Basque called Felipé who happened to grow up with Xabi Alonso and Mikel Arteta in San Sebastien. In April Felipé invited John and another Manc mate Andy to visit him in Madrid where he lives. As part of the itinerary he arranged for John and Andy to watch Real Madrid train and afterwards they were introduced to Xabi, Alvaro Arbeloa and a few other players. In fact Xabi gave them a lift in his X5 back to their hotel.

John said during the journey it was obvious how much Alonso still loves Liverpool (the city and the club) and misses the place. He said he always referred to LFC as "us" and "we" and he promised he would return one day in some capacity but not whilst Rafa was in charge (this was two months before Rafa's contract was terminated by "mutual agreement" remember). Andy joked that maybe Benitez would join him at Real, which were the rumours at the time, and he laughed and said something in Basque which Felipé later translated roughly as "well I'll be ****ing off then!"

The lads said Xabi was clearly upset about being sold but he understood the reasons and they were ready to move back to Spain anyway as Nagore was pregnant with their second child. He remarked that Nagore loves the city of Liverpool and has loads of mates she was missing (I can confirm this as I 'follow' her on Twitter and she's always tweeting comments like "I miss my friends" and "I miss the rain!"). I think Xabi said they had kept their flat in the Albert Docks "just in case".

John and Andy - both Mancs remember - said what a great guy Xabi was and they'd love to have spent more time with him but he was preparing for a big match. However, he promised next time he and Nagore are in Liverpool that they'd all meet up and I've been invited too!

[Neil Young]

OK, I'm convinced.




Rafa out.

[Tee]

Xabi for Player Manager please.

[BillobShaisley]

I haven't got an issue. He's gone. We've moved on, and moved on backwards unfortunately. My only gripe is that people seem to think that he left out of his own will, he was desperate to go, his family weren't happy and that the Gareth Barry situation didn't influence his decision. The fact is, Rafa ****ed up but people will not accept that...watch the video above! And Xabi did not turn down Juventus: if you recall, he said they would be an interesting team to play for. Liverpool turned all their bids as you have correctly said.

The different perspective is that Xabi underperformed for 2 years which lead to Raffa considering selling him in order to get Barry. He didn't sell him cheap to force him out or embarass him and as nobody was willing to pay the 20mil Rafa wanted it kind of confirms how his performances were percieved at the time throughout europe.

The difference of opinion is in whether 2 years of underperformance and consequential consideration of replacement is a huge personal insult that warrants a tantrum? The next year after he pulled his socks up adn Real offered 30mil, Rafa tried to get him to sign a new contract. Very Rafa, analytical. Last year you were worth 20million to me, you were worth less than that to any other big club. This year you are wirth more than 30mil to be because you are playing better.

It's true to say that things changed during the Barry saga, but that is not the same as saying the Barry saga caused everything. The fact that there are direct quotes from xabi saying it was barry, the taxes, the fact it was real all goes to show that it was the combined factor of everything rather than evil rafa being too hard nosed.

In short **** happens

[Mostar]

Future Liverpool Manager,. Mark my words.

Absolutely.

He has it all.

Class, charisma, knowledge, respect etc.

I love to see him back as a L4 manager