Jurgen Klopp’s farewell tour at Liverpool has begun to hit a rut of late. The Reds seemed like they were in with a great chance of winning more than just the Carabao Cup this season, but recent results have derailed their progress.
Liverpool were knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United 4-3 in incredible circumstances, suffered a 3-0 first-leg defeat against Atalanta in the Europa League last eight, and lost 1-0 to Crystal Palace last weekend in the Premier League.
The end of the season is certainly not going the way Klopp would have wanted, and there is real cause for concern that his fairytale ending will not turn out the way both he and Liverpool fans hope.
Of course, whilst Klopp and his squad continue the hunt for more trophies than the Carabao Cup, the search goes on for the German’s successor. Unsurprisingly, there is lots of speculation swirling as to who could be their new boss, with a frontrunner and a surprise candidate emerging in recent days.
Amorim still the frontrunner
The man considered by many to be leading the way for the position of the next Liverpool manager is Sporting’s Ruben Amorim. The 39-year-old is making waves in Liga Portugal, with his Sporting side currently top of the table by seven points.
Amorim has won five major honours as a manager, including the league title with Sporting in 2020/21, one of four titles he has won with Leões. The fifth was a Portuguese League Cup triumph with Braga in 2019/20.
At the start of the month, Amorim explained that he “cannot make any guarantees” as to whether or not he will be in charge at Sporting beyond this season, although in a later press conference denied agreeing on personal terms with Liverpool, as per Sky Sports.
In an interview with the BBC last week, former Liverpool man Abel Xavier called Amorim’s potential appointment a “major signing” for Liverpool, stressing how key it is to find the “correct person after Klopp”.
The Portuguese manager’s ideal system is a 3-4-3, with the two wingers almost acting as number 10s in possession. Certainly, some Liverpool players would translate over to Amorim’s system well, particularly Trent Alexander-Arnold, who would thrive at left-wing back, and Alexis Mac Allister, who would be able to play in Amorim’s intense midfield pivot with ease.
Whether or not Liverpool decide to appoint Amorim remains to be seen. However, it could certainly be a smart choice, with the profiles in Liverpool’s squad perfectly fitting Amorim’s style, and the fact he already has a winning ethos as a manager.
A potential Amorim alternative
The former Bayern Munich manager Niko Kovac has emerged as a “surprise name” to take over at Liverpool according to The Mail Online’s David Kent. The Croatian has been out of work since 17th March when he left Wolfsburg, with his previous clubs also including Monaco and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Interestingly, the 52-year-old has never beaten Jurgen Klopp, having managed against him twice; Klopp’s Liverpool beat his Bayern side 3-1 at the Allianz Arena and drew 0-0 at Anfield in 2018/19 in the Champions League.
Despite facing criticism as Bayern manager, Kovac was defended by Uli Hoeness, the club president, on Sports Illustrated’s podcast Planet Football, via Bulinews. Hoeness described his double-winning debut season as “unbelievable”, especially given it was the last season for club legends Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben.
In terms of his style of play, Kovac has shown great tactical flexibility, and has played back three systems at Frankfurt, and back four systems at Bayern. However, he has consistently played a direct style of play and likes to use quick, direct wingers to great effect. In this instance, we could see the likes of Luis Diaz thrive under Kovac, should he get the Liverpool job.
At Bayern, Kovac also liked to dominate lots of the ball. In 2018/19, they had 66% possession, more than any other side in the league, according to Sofascore. Again, this should translate well over to Liverpool, who have averaged 61.4% possession this season in the Premier League, as per Sofascore. They should certainly be able to handle Kovac’s high-possession demands, especially having played lots under Klopp.
Whether or not Liverpool go with Amorim, the favourite choice, or Kovac, the shock name in the mix, remains to be seen. Either way, both certainly have merits and have had past success. Whoever steps into the shoes of Klopp will have big boots to fill, and will no doubt hope to carry on the incredible legacy he has left at Anfield.
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