Managerless Liverpool
With Rúben Amorim now appearing unlikely to replace Jürgen Klopp this summer, who could Liverpool get to succeed him?
So this post was originally supposed to be dedicated to Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Scouse full-back deserves credit for his fine display against Fulham on the weekend, but breaking news is breaking news.
Fresh reports emerged on Monday afternoon suggesting that Rúben Amorim is looking ‘unlikely’ to replace Jürgen Klopp at the end of the campaign. The Sporting CP was the favourite for the Liverpool job and by quite some distance, so what now?
The next manager isn’t going to be Xabi Alonso, and it apparently isn’t going to be Amorim, either. Julian Nagelsmann is extending his contract with the German national team, so it won’t be him. There’s nobody left, lads.
This post is going to be dedicated to highlighting a few wildcard options who might have climbed up the pecking order over the past few months. The Athletic‘s David Ornstein recently said Liverpool are prepared to be ‘brave over popular’ with their choice, which feels a bit ominous.
So as the end of the campaign approaches, who might emerge as an surprise front-runner for the Anfield hot seat? Let’s take a look at some candidates.
Thomas Frank (Brentford)
I’m just not sure on Thomas Frank. Not in terms of whether he’s good or not, but whether he could lead a heavyweight club such as Liverpool.
Based on his job at Brentford, he’s undeniably good. The Dane has consistenly been forced to sell his best players, yet he’s managed to restructure his outfit to ensure they remain competitive. They got promoted in the Championship after selling the likes of Ollie Watkins, Saïd Benrahma, Neal Maupay and Ezri Konsa.
Brentford are a tiny club in Premier League terms, but they always do alright. Frank can punch above his weight, no doubt. He can also work within the confines of a data-driven structure without starting fights.
On the negative side, he doesn’t possess much of a pull, which can matter when you’re trying to land the best players. His playing style is also relatively vague and flexible, which isn’t necessarily bad, but Liverpool are favourites most weeks. They need to dominate their opponents.
Frank’s Brentford posted good offensive and defensive numbers in the Championship, but stepping up and replacing Klopp in one jump feels like it could be quite a stretch.
Sebastian Hoeneß (Stuttgart)
Because of Alonso’s outrageous Bundesliga campaign, Sebastien Hoeneß has somehow drifted under the radar this term.
His Stuttgart side are currently three points behind Bayern Munich after 30 games. And I’m going to repeat that for good measure. His Stuttgart side are currently three points behind Bayern Munich after 30 games.
That looks even more impressive once you check his squad. I don’t know about you, but I know very few of them. Hoeneß is punching above his weight with that group.
Their expected goal difference per match in the Bundesliga this season is +1.04. For context, only six teams across Europe’s big five leagues are posting better: Bayern, Inter Milan, Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool.
Incredible players represent those teams. Chris Führich, Waldemar Anton and Atakan Karazor have played the most minutes for Hoeneß this season. Nope, I’ve never heard of them, either.
Thiago Motta (Bologna)
An excellent player and by the looks of things, an arguably better coach. This guy was an imposing leader during his playing days, and he’s very multicultural. He was born in Brazil, represented Italy and emerged on the scene in Spain within Barcelona’s famed youth ranks. Motta also played in France.
He hasn’t been on the managerial scene for very long — due to complete his second season in Serie A this term — but he’s made a real difference at Bologna, who currently sit fourth in the Italian top flight just four points behind Juventus with a game in hand.
Motta’s side are the most possession-based outfit in Serie A behind only Napoli, and they have a really solid defence, mostly as a result of their shrewd use of the ball. Like Alonso’s Leverkusen, Bologna know when to try things and when to play safe.
Again, much like every other name on this list, Motta is disrupting the picture around him.
Arne Slot (Feyenoord)
When I dedicated a series to searching for an heir to Klopp’s throne just a few months ago, I really wish I had included the Eredivisie in my sample, purely as a means of assessing Arne Slot in the data. But I didn’t.
Tottenham Hotspur tried to appoint this guy ahead of Ange Postecoglou last summer, before the Dutchman turned them down at the altar. He’s only managed in his homeland to date, but his record looks pretty good.
He’ll complete his third season at Feyenoord next month, finishing second behind PSV Eindhoven after winning the whole thing last term. In that sense, he’s a disruptor like Alonso, Amorim, and Klopp when he got the job in 2015.
I’m intrigued, but I’ll need to do some more homework on this guy.
Gary O'Neil (Wolves)
This link, quietly, doesn’t seem to be going away. Gary O'Neil has done a really good job at Wolves, and he was impressive at Bournemouth, too. Very good communicator, tactically impressive.
I also know he’s got a really good relationship with Edwards, which is quite interesting. Does that matter? I’m not sure. And at the same time, Richard Hughes let him go last summer and replaced him with Andoni Iraola.
As for the data, there’s not a great deal to highlight, and he certainly wouldn’t be a pull for the best players, either. This one seems very unlikely for a club as big as Liverpool, but at the same time, you never know.
José Mourinho (Unemployed)
No.
Pretty much all of these guys have one thing in common: they have each demonstrated an ability to make a team more than the sum of its parts by delivering beyond expectation on the pitch.
That, in essence, is the role of a manager. These are your ingredients, and we expect you to cook a fine meal for us every single week. Oh, and your biggest rival? He’ll be cooking with more expensive ingredients which taste nicer. All the best.
Liverpool have already bought pretty good ingredients for the next manager, they just need to find the right chef, although that is proving to be easier said than done.
I'm not fussed about this new report from Ornstein. Amorim has done incredibly well at Sporting but it's a HUGE leap for a young manager, from the Portuguese league, with very limited UCL experience to take the manager post at Liverpool. Save for short stints playing in Qatar and managing at Braga, Amorim has only ever played or managed in Lisbon! His track record is impressive but it would be a huge gamble. P.S. I feel the same way about Xabi.
It's gotta be Thomas Tuchel ...
- Very experienced in UCL ... six years, two finals, winning it once.
- Understands the expectations of big clubs (PSG, Chelsea, Bayern).
- Enough EPL experience to be familiar with the intensity of 2 tough matches per week w/o breaks
- Tactically BRILLIANT (can hang in there w any of the world's best)
- Experience with replacing a legend (2x following Jurgen)
- He's available (no fee required)
- He's seen enough of the BS from other big clubs to appreciate the stability of our club
I only put a like because I appreciate the work you've put in, like Kieran. However it's like being told that that stunningly beautiful girl won't go out with you.......and neither will her nearly as good looking sister.....but she's got a cousin, here's a picture of her feet!!!