Liverpool could hire “the best young coach in the world”

Mohamed Salah has engaged in a subtle war of words on Liverpool’s hierarchy and what he perceives as slipped standards at Anfield.

Who can blame him? The dynasty that Salah crafted under Jurgen Klopp’s leadership, brick by red brick, is ebbing away, and the most concerning thing is that it’s difficult to see how Liverpool will return to that level.

Arne Slot was quick to list the mitigating factors that contributed to Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat away at Manchester United on Sunday, but, for the 18th time this season, this proved a short-sighted way of looking at unacceptable standards, of a startling decline that is all the more worrying for FSG’s assertion that the Dutch coach is still the man for the job.

It’s a risk, to be sure, because Liverpool have not fallen but plummeted from what has been deemed acceptable. 18 defeats. Liverpool are on course to qualify for the Champions League, but only because of the faults of their top-five rivals.

FSG continue to back the under-fire head coach, but this can’t go on much longer.

Who Liverpool could replace Slot with

Liverpool don’t want to sack Slot, but it can’t go on like this, can it?

The Reds are a world away from their expected standards, and while sacking Slot won’t prove a magic formula for success, there is only so much damage one coach can weather across a single campaign.

If push does come to shove, Liverpool will have a number of options to consider. Chief among them: Xabi Alonso. The Spaniard, who is unemployed after parting with Real Madrid, is one of the most exciting young coaches in the world, but he lacks experience in the Premier League and employs a three-man defence.

It might be that Alonso may not be the best pick right now, especially when Andoni Iraola is there.

Iraola, 43, will leave Bournemouth at the end of the season, with his team currently sat in sixth in the Premier League. Chelsea and Crystal Palace are currently battling it out for his signature, but sporting director Richard Hughes placed him at the top of Liverpool’s shortlist last month.

It’s a complicated one to navigate, no doubt, but Iraola has three successful years of experience in the Premier League, and he brings the high-intensity, high-tempo approach that has dissipated this season, sculpted and sustained over so many years in Jurgen Klopp’s Anfield set-up.

Why Iraola can be Liverpool’s new Jurgen Klopp

Klopp. What a manager. The German came and saw and conquered, and while his successor has done a marvellous job in leading Liverpool to the title, it’s clear that too much has gone wrong this year, and that a change would probably be best for everyone.

Liverpool are so slow on the ball, and it’s difficult to ascertain exactly what is the principal strength of this Reds outfit. Despite retaining plenty of possession each game, they struggle to create and play fluent attacking football.

In that, Liverpool’s identity is being stripped away, and something needs to change. With Iraola at the helm, it just might. After all, he has

been described as “the best young coach in the world” by Sky Sports’ Sam Tighe.

The Spaniard has turned Bournemouth into one of the division’s most entertaining sides, but they are also stable and coherent across all phases of play. Sure, they pack a “rock and roll” punch, as Iraola has defined his own tactics, but they are also resourceful, going from strength to strength despite so many sales across the past few years.

He’s also described it as “organised chaos”, and that’s probably the right way to define Iraola-ball. Klopp is inimitable, but in Iraola, FSG could restore the DNA that has been split open over the course of this chaotic season.

Slot has earned his flowers at Liverpool, but he doesn’t have unlimited credit in the bank. Something needs to change, and if FSG do bite the bullet, Iraola might just be the perfect man for the job.

He is experienced in the Premier League, and he is still fresh, at the start of his career. This is the move that Liverpool need to go for.