Xabi Alonso has been linked with succeeding Jurgen Klopp after the end of the season. German tactician Bernd Schuster says he was in the Spaniard's shoes and now regrets leaving a smaller team for a bigger side.
“Xabi’s situation reminds me of a similar situation I was in a few years ago,” the 64-year-old told Bild, as quoted by Sport Witness.
“Back then, I coached my team Getafe into the European Cup and then went to Real Madrid. Afterwards I thought to myself that I would have liked to have played with Getafe as a smaller club in the European Cup.
“This was the first time in Europe for this club in its history and would therefore have been a very nice story. So, it’s hard to decide. I would understand Xabi in every decision he makes.
“But what I can say for sure is that sometimes you have to be careful not to want everything too quickly. As a young coach you still have a lot to learn.
“And if, like Xabi, you already have your own team that he has strongly brought together and developed, it is also a really interesting task to go one step further with this team.”
Schuster left Getafe for Real Madrid in 2007 after guiding them to the UEFA Cup (now Europa League). The German featured for the Whites during his playing career so it was a kind of homecoming for him, similarly to Alonso in case he becomes Liverpool's head coach.
Schuster won La Liga in his first season with Madrid but stepped down a few months after that, saying that his side can't compete with Barcelona.
