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⛔️🇧🇷 Brazil manager Dorival Junior:

"Alisson, Matheus Cunha and Brighton's Joao Pedro will miss friendly encounters in March due to injury".

All of them are set to be ruled out for almost one month.

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Rafa Benítez tells Liverpool to ignore ‘what is trending on social media’ in Xabi Alonso warning
By Starnews24 -February 20, 2024025
Rafa Benítez tells Liverpool to ignore 'what is trending on social media' in Xabi Alonso warning
Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen moved eight points clear at the top of the Bundesliga on Saturday and his former boss has opened up on his managerial abilities.
Rafa Benítez tells Liverpool to ignore 'what is trending on social media' in Xabi Alonso warning

Xabi Alonso remains the leading candidate to replace Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool with his Bayer Leverkusen side sitting eight points clear at the top of the Bundesliga. Leverkusen extended their unbeaten run by beating Heidenheim on Saturday before title rivals Bayern Munich lost to Bochum.

It means Alonso’s side is in a great position to win its first ever Bundesliga title, having been second from bottom when the Spaniard took over in October 2022. His stock is continuing to rise and Klopp has even hailed the ex-Liverpool midfielder as the ‘standout’ among the next wave of top managers.

Liverpool is likely to face competition for Alonso if he is on the shortlist to replace Klopp, but his and Liverpool’s former boss Rafael Benítez has offered some words of warning. He believes both parties need to make sure they are the right fit for each other, regardless of fanfare and emotional ties.

“There is a lot of noise around Xabi Alonso at the moment, but there are lots of other good coaches not so much in the media spotlight,” he told the Athletic. “Teams have to choose not what is trending on social media, but the characteristics they need and the stability and path they want for their team.

“Xabi has been at good teams with good coaches. He is intelligent. He has picked up different things from all his coaches. When he took over last season, Leverkusen needed to play a lot on the counter-attack. Now it has a team which is more of a protagonist, with a lot of pace, a lot of fast attacking. He is doing very good work.

“We all want to be in the most important competitions with the most attention. The Premier League is the reference at the moment. They pay well, conditions are good, fans are passionate, games are attractive. So it would be attractive for Xabi Alonso, and any other coach, to prove himself and to feel satisfied.”

Like Alonso now, Benitez was one of the most sought-after managers in Europe when he joined Liverpool in 2004. He had won two La Liga titles with Valencia in 2001/02 and 2003/04, beating giants like Real Madrid and Barcelona. He also won the UEFA Cup and he knows what it’s like to face the decision of moving to a bigger club.

“It’s difficult to know (when to move to a bigger club). You have to know the possibility of improving where you are or growing with a new project. I didn’t want to leave Valencia but there were offers from four teams and Liverpool’s was very attractive. You could see a project, with lots of excitement and potential. Maybe if I stayed, we would have won the Champions League with Valencia, but I went to a club that trusted me and gave me the keys to their house.”

Meanwhile, Benitez also had his say on Steven Gerrard’s managerial career so far. The Liverpool hero won the title with Rangers in Scotland and looked as though he might take over from Klopp at Liverpool one day.

But things didn’t work out at Aston Villa and he is now in Saudi Arabia. Benitez added: “Often, the path you take depends on the options you have,” he said. “Stevie did very well at Rangers. Maybe Aston Villa was the right step but in the wrong moment.”

“Maybe it is a setback, but from there, he had the option to go to Saudi Arabia and he took it. If he waited, would it have been different?” The timing for these decisions, whether you hurry or not, depends on many factors we coaches do not control.”