“He has helped me so much”: High praise from Xabi Alonso for Florian Wirtz

Florian Wirtz and Xabi Alonso will meet again on Wednesday evening. The German international’s former coach is looking forward to it.

Ahead of his Chelsea side's away match against Liverpool at Anfield Road, Alonso praised Wirtz, who had thrived under him in the Bundesliga at Bayer Leverkusen.

"I can only speak about my time with Flo at Bayer Leverkusen," Alonso said, explaining: "One of the main reasons I am sitting here today is the time I spent with him in Leverkusen."

Alonso worked with Wirtz at Bayer Leverkusen from 2022 to 2025. The Spaniard transformed a team near the bottom of the table into unbeaten German champions in 2023/24 and DFB Cup winners. Wirtz was the focal point of his side in attacking midfield.

In 2025, both men left the city of colours. Alonso joined his former club Real Madrid as Ancelotti's successor, but was dismissed after a short time and now coaches Chelsea. Wirtz, meanwhile, moved to Liverpool for a transfer fee of €125 million. There, he fell short of the high expectations and faced some criticism. His form has improved recently, though.

Alonso praised him: "He was a special player who helped with so much. I learned a lot from him and I still follow him now that he is at Liverpool. We all know that the next step is always an interesting one, and he is getting better and better."

Across his past four matches, Wirtz has registered four goal contributions. On Sunday, his deflected shot led to the Reds' opening goal against Brighton & Hove Albion, who have been playing so well recently (2-0). He later twisted his ankle and had to be substituted after just over an hour. After limping off the pitch, he offered some reassurance. Speaking to Sky, the Germany international said: "We haven't done any checks yet. I don't think it's too serious. I've twisted my ankle now and then in recent weeks. I need to get that under control."

Whether he can play when he meets Alonso again in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday remains unclear. Coach Andoni Iraola said it "doesn't look like anything major", but added: "We play every three days. That's why we have to see how he is."