If he is picked tomorrow night, Xabi Alonso will make his 200th appearance for Liverpool. Few could have predicted how much this highly-rated midfielder would contribute to the team following his arrival in the summer of 2004.
Defence-splitting passes, an eye for goal from any distance and all round commitment to the cause makes the £10.7 million paid to Real Sociedad look like money well spent.
Defence-splitting passes, an eye for goal from any distance and all round commitment to the cause makes the £10.7 million paid to Real Sociedad look like money well spent.
With all the talk of Gareth Barry arriving at Anfield last summer, Alonso looked to be heading for the exit at L4 but following Villa's refusal to budge on the price for the midfielder, the Spaniard stayed at the club and has shown the form that won him a legion of followers on Merseyside.
A European champion at both club and international level and one of the best holding midfielders in the game. Some would say that Alonso is lucky to be playing for Liverpool but I believe that there is an arguement to be had that Liverpool are lucky to have a player of Xabi Alonso's calibre.
