Rafael Benitez has offered a candid assessment of two of his former Liverpool players, Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa, ahead of their meeting as Premier League managers this Monday, when Arbeloa's Fulham welcome Alonso's Chelsea.
Asked whether he foresaw either man building a career in coaching, the former Liverpool boss did not hold back. "Alonso, yes. Arbeloa, not really," Benitez said. "For me, Arbeloa was a surprise."
Nearly two decades have passed since Benitez brought the two Spaniards together at Anfield, first signing Alonso in 2004 during his reshaping of Gerard Houllier's squad, before Arbeloa arrived from Deportivo in 2007 after progressing through Real Madrid's youth system. The pair went on to spend seven years as club team-mates, appearing together 262 times for club and country, and later reunited at Real Madrid, where they won league and cup honours. With Spain, they lifted the 2010 World Cup and two European Championships together.
Their paths converged again last season when Arbeloa was promoted from Real Madrid's Castilla side to take charge of the first team following Alonso's dismissal in January. Benitez drew a parallel between Arbeloa's rise and his own beginnings in coaching, noting that Arbeloa emerged from the same academy pathway before stepping into management "in special circumstances."
Both men made the move to the Premier League this July for their first English top-flight managerial posts, taking charge of clubs whose stadiums sit barely two miles apart. Benitez suggested Arbeloa's familiarity with English football could be an asset, but stressed the scale of the challenge awaiting him outside the protective bubble of a super-club. "With Alvaro, he knows the Premier League," Benitez said. "But his experience is shorter than Xabi's. We need to know how he can cope outside Real Madrid, which protects you in a way. Outside, you are on your own."
Alonso, by contrast, arrives with a proven managerial pedigree, having delivered a league and cup double at Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga in 2024. Benitez credited Alonso's time playing under coaches such as Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola with broadening his tactical outlook, while praising the midfielder's on-field intelligence. He recalled a moment from a 2009 fixture against Sam Allardyce's Blackburn, when Alonso disregarded instructions to aim a free-kick at the far post, instead finding Fernando Torres at the near post for a goal in a 4-0 win. "He was someone who was always thinking," Benitez said.
Despite the professional rivalry, the bond between Alonso and Arbeloa remains strong. According to Arbeloa, the two are "very good friends" who become "rivals when the game starts." They reportedly exchanged messages before Monday's fixture, though football was not on the agenda. The families live close to one another in Cobham, Surrey, and their children attend the same school — a friendship Arbeloa insists "will never change."
Benitez also highlighted the broader coaching legacy he has left behind, listing more than 20 former Liverpool players who have since moved into management, including Wales manager Craig Bellamy and Djimi Traore, now an assistant at Seattle Sounders. He fondly recalled substituting Traore at half-time during the 2005 Champions League final, only for an injury to force his return before Liverpool's dramatic comeback win over AC Milan.
Now 66 and currently without a club after leaving Panathinaikos in May despite securing a top-four finish, Benitez says he remains eager for a new challenge, potentially at international level, while continuing to serve as a UEFA technical observer.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.