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Alonso hails Klopp’s impact

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epa05566663 A handout picture made available on 02 October 2016 by Getty Images shows Xabi Alonso of FC Bayern Muenchen and Nagore Aramburo attending the Oktoberfest beer festival at Kaefer Wiesenschaenke tent at Theresienwiese on October 2, 2016 in Munich, Germany. EPA/Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images/dpa **MANDATORY CREDIT** HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY

Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso, now at Bayern Munich, has praised Red’s manager Jurgen Klopp for his embracing of the Anfield culture. 

Having replaced the tentative Brendan Rodgers at the helm last October, the charismatic Klopp has become a major hit with the fans.  He has overseen a marked improvement in the side’s performances and established them as a force in the Premier League this season.

Klopp’s brand of dynamic box-to-box football has helped propel Liverpool to the summit of the Premier League standings, where only an inferior goal difference separates them from fellow heavyweights Manchester City and Arsenal.

Having come up against him as a player when the German guided Borussia Dortmund, Alonso said he has been impressed by Klopp’s antics at his former club.

‘It was a big boost for the city and the club to have such a prestigious manager wanting to manage Liverpool,’ he told the BBC. ‘He has embraced the culture of Liverpool, the tradition but also the hunger to deliver and to do something important.’

Having hit 20 goals from their nine fixtures so far this season, the Reds are currently the joint-best attacking side in the Premier League, a factor Alonso believes makes them exciting to watch.

‘They are so, so enjoyable to watch and they are [involved] in great games. They have beaten Arsenal in London and Chelsea in London as well,’ Alonso observed.

The Reds are next in action when they take on Crystal Palace on Saturday, kicking at 16:30.