The German’s nine-year reign on Merseyside draws to a rather shocking conclusion at the end of the 2023-24 season. How will Liverpool replace their greatest ever Premier League manager?
Jurgen Klopp, the impassioned German who made Liverpool Football Club feel like Liverpool Football Club once again, has announced the surprise end to his Merseyside tenure. He took over a club that, for so long, was incapable of getting over the final title hurdle and delivered them their first Premier League trophy.
His announcement, made through the club’s official YouTube channels, caught the footballing world by surprise, even if it was a long time coming for the German, with several factors playing into his decision to call time on his Liverpool career at the end of the 2023-24 season, two years before his contract ends.
“It is that I am, how can I say it, running out of energy. I have no problem now, obviously, I knew it already for longer that I will have to announce it at one point, but I am absolutely fine now. I know that I cannot do the job again and again and again and again,” Klopp explained.
When you consider Liverpool’s recent history, which includes multiple Premier League campaigns falling agonisingly short of the league title at the hands of the indomitable Manchester City, including an incredibly draining 2021-22 campaign, it’s not surprising to hear Klopp’s running on fumes.
There’s still plenty of football to be played before the curtain draws on the Klopp era. Liverpool are on the brink of another potentially unbelievable season, finding themselves in the driving seat for the Premier League title, a League Cup final and frontrunners for both the FA Cup and the Europa League.
Just how Klopp’s imminent departure impacts Liverpool’s back half of the season is unclear. Will it unsettle the Reds or galvanise them to send their affable German leader out on a high?
What is clear is the search for Liverpool’s next manager is underway. The Merseyside club have been historically successful in replacing outgoing managers, such as when Bob Paisley replaced Bill Shankly.
They’ll need to hope this continues when Klopp’s tenure draws to a close at the end of the season. How exactly they do that is up in the air; will they lean towards a manager with the ‘gegenpressing’ tactical approach popularised by Klopp or shuttle in a new manager, a new system and a new era?
Who should replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool?
Who are the possible replacements? Let’s break down the key names that are being heavily speculated.
Xabi Alonso
Football tends to aggressively get ahead of itself and anoint kings before they’ve truly been tested. In the case of Xabi Alonso, whose Bayer Leverkusen are unbeaten and flying at the Bundesliga’s summit on the hunt for a first league title ever, his kingmaking has been thoroughly deserved.
His Leverkusen outfit is arguably Europe’s best side in 2023-24. Slick movers of the football with an emphasis on possession retention and moving the ball around until defensive spaces open up, and lapses occur, before inevitably punishing their opposition.
A legend at Liverpool who was key to their unlikely 2005 UEFA Champions League final victory, Alonso’s appointment would be popular amongst Liverpool fans. However, his tactical style, influenced by his Spanish roots, and system, a fluid back-three that morphs into a traditional defensive four in possession, are a complete contrast to Liverpool’s current style.
If Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen induce death by a thousand cuts, then Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool wants to get you with a single swing of the blade. They are, at their core, polar opposites. That’s not to say it wouldn’t work, only that it would take some adjustment.
As opposed to raking long balls directly to the wings, as has become standard operation procedures under Klopp, the likes of Virgil Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold would be required to play patiently, with shorter passes Alonso’s preference.
Not only would Liverpool’s current crop need to compromise. So too would Alonso. At Leverkusen, he operated with two traditional creative attacking midfielders, the electrifying Florian Wirtz and Jonas Hofmann.
At Liverpool, who benefit from wingers like Luis Diaz, Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota, the Spaniard wouldn’t have such tools at his disposal. That being said Alonso, Liverpool’s squad and the club’s structure operate at an elite enough level to succeed.
Roberto De Zerbi
Since assuming control of Brighton at the end of 2022, Roberto De Zerbi’s name has been spouted for any and every European managerial vacancy. For good reason. Brighton are one of the most exciting Premier League sides and, particularly in their first season under the Italian, were the best in the world at baiting presses and slicing sides open.
2023-24 has seen their effectiveness stymied, especially against low-block sides who don’t fall for their press baiting; in the six Premier League games where they’ve kept 70% possession or more Brighton has won just once, drawing four and losing the other. While this return is far from embarrassing, it does highlight a clear weakness.
Out of possession, Brighton are one of Europe’s best sides. Their pressing is intensely effective, with the side creating six goals from high turnovers this season according to Opta, more than any other Premier League side.
Another major factor that could inspire the Italian to trade the south coast for Merseyside is the minimal variation between Brighton’s system and the one implemented by Klopp at Liverpool. De Zerbi appreciates and utilises wingers as well as inverted fullbacks, two hallmarks of the 2023-24 Liverpool side, meaning major adjustments for coach and player will be few and far between.
Julian Nagelsmann
Out goes one German, in comes another. It could work, couldn’t it? Julian Nagelsmann’s temporary tenure as head coach of the German national team concludes at the end of this year’s Euros, meaning the timing lines up for him to replace Klopp.
Having spent time at RB Leipzig, a club as closely aligned to pressing and heavy metal football as Klopp, Nagelsmann is an incredibly capable coach who has a propensity for system fluidity, often altering his side’s set up to magnify their strengths and mask their weaknesses.
Doubts surrounding his ability to handle the pressures of a European juggernaut do hang over Nagelsmann, particularly given what is widely considered a poor spell at the helm of Bayern Munich. However, the Bavarian giants are notoriously difficult to work for, with intra-club political infighting a major issue.
His stock has taken a significant hit since being unceremoniously removed from his Bayern post, with his early experiments and poor results as German coach failing to inspire confidence he’s the manager he once was.
Appointing Nagelsmann is a gamble, that can’t be doubted. However, he is 36-years-old, tactically astute and hungry for success. He’s shown he can deliver a league title at Bayern Munich, although even Graham Arnold could do that, without being too systemically dissimilar from Klopp’s Liverpool.
Ange Postecoglou
Now, we know what you’re thinking. Yes, my head is on straight. Yes, I think Ange Postecoglou’s likely to remain as Tottenham head coach at least until Pep Guardiola decides to leave Manchester City.
However, stranger things have happened and in an age where teams are paying transfer fees for managers, there is a possibility, however slim, that the Australian could be in the Anfield dugout come the 2024-25 season.
Outside of Alonso, Postecoglou’s managerial stock might be the highest rising of any throughout the 2023-24 season. He’s transformed Spurs from an underperforming laughing stock into an outfit that, when fully fit, many argue would be heavily involved in the Premier League title race.
Spurs do all the things required of great modern sides; press high, create plenty of chances and put the ball in the back of the net all while remaining comfortable in possession and strict subscribers to the Postecoglou way.
As a childhood Liverpool supporter, Ange understands the Merseyside club needs a strong personality in the dugout; all their successful periods have come with a sturdy, uncompromising manager at the helm.
Ruben Amorim
Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim is seemingly the managerial flavour of the month. Not only is the Portuguese manager linked with Liverpool, but just about every other club searching for a manager reportedly has him on their shortlist.
At 39, Amorim is young and offers Liverpool a chance to plan for the future. According to reports, Liverpool’s data analysts like what they see from Amorim’s managerial approach, which led Sporting to the Portuguese league title in 2020-21, the club’s first in nearly two decades.
Where the friction may arise is Amorim’s £8.6 million pound release clause which, in a climate of increased financial scrutiny where club’s are pinching every penny they possibly can. Amorim’s managerial inexperience outside of Portugal may also be an issue.
That’s not to suggest he’s not a talented manager. Sporting has grown into a dominant side in Portugal, scoring nearly three goals per game in the league this season. Tactically, there could be questions about the suitability of this arrangement given Amorim’s preference for a 3-4-3 system that may suit some parts of Liverpool’s game while failing to maximise the output of others.
