Liverpool FC Team Talk, Gossip, Rumours 2024/25

antimatterx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121951239#Comment_121951239

Do you want Alonso to take over a division 2 team!

bdmc16

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121951181#Comment_121951181

I don’t think anyone really knew anything at all about Amorim prior to Klopp news. He certainly seems well regarded in articles and the trophies he’s won in Portugal recently. However the leap from Portugal to the premiership is massive and his lack of experience managing elite players at the highest level in the champions league seems a gamble.

I can understand Alonso not coming to Liverpool just now. Replacing Klopp is a monumental task itself but trying to keep up with Oil teams like City who have no regard for FFP must be a huge put off. If this didn’t work out , his career/ trajectory would badly impacted.

Having said that staying is Bayer trying to match an almost perfect season while all his best players may have serious offers from European teams may actually be trickiest of all his options right now. He’s likely playing the waiting game for Madrid or may be enticed to Liverpool down the line rather than coming in straight after Klopp.

I wouldn't come if I was Alonso. He'll never match Klopp, and as mentioned he's so early in his managerial career. Whats the hurry.

The next manager is on a hiding to nothing unless we get lucky with a gem.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121951239#Comment_121951239

I wouldn't let him manage the u8s tbh.

Utopia Parkway

I'd say Alonso got the word that Madrid are very interested in him after Ancelotti leaves. So might as well stay at Leverkusen for another year or two.

Not sure what we do now. Don't really want De Zerbi. Just feel it wouldn't go well for some reason.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121951462#Comment_121951462

I'm not sure that's how pessimistically prospective managers will be looking at it… it's a fairly uniquely positive situation.

Like, usually guys are coming into a job where things have been going horribly - hence the managerial job opening - and have huge pressure immediately to turn things around.

Or the previous guy decides to leave when things have gotten a bit stagnant and it feels like the end of a cycle - like Wenger and Ferguson - where there's a big rebuilding job to be done and they leave it for a new man to take on.

Instead, we're being left in great condition, with a strong squad that's just been updated with a great medium-term age profile, and loads of good quality kids coming through too. On the face of it, it's the dream scenario for anyone to come into, particularly when there isn't even that much pressure to actually win anything since City will always be favourites for everything.

TitianGerm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121951375#Comment_121951375

I started watching a good bit of Sporting this season when I kept hearing about a Coventry City player joining them and was absolutely tearing up the league. Was also keeping an eye on Inacio who we'd been linked with last summer.

They play some really nice stuff but it is Portugal so hard to know how good the coach actually is. I was really hoping for Alonso though, one of my favourite ever players so it's disappointing he won't be joining. Fair play to him though for wanting to stay for another year at Leverkusen, maybe he has his eye on Madrid after Carlo leaves.

Edit: just to say as well that I'm surprised that there hasn't been much mention of Nagelsman in the media. I think he's a really good coach (not sure he'd be a good fit with us though) and did a good job at Red Bull and Bayern but the Bayern hierarchy were to quick to kick him.

~Rebel~

As we saw with Michael Edwards though, never say never.

Fitz*

Something to note too. In the past few years, Liverpool were fairly strict on their news staying out of the media until it was basically a done deal. Or they wanted to use the media to make an angle for selling a player by trying to generate interest etc. This was because Edwards leaked the VVD agreement too soon and Southampton got thick and stopped any transfer (for a few months). Edwards then tended to put out stories denying interest in players, like Alisson & VVD again, before they were wrapped up quickly and quietly at a later date.

Thud

this is a few weeks old but interesting

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/68368787

AdrianG08

**** Real Madrid always get what they want. Every single time. He will 100% replace Ancelotti.

Could be as simple as his Mrs not wanting to live on Merseyside.

We are not a club who chops and changes manager every season, surely he knows that too. Yet no doubt he will probably take over a Madrid side which is a ceremonial position at best.

Electric Nitwit

Pearce and Ornstein catching up, it's definitely a coordinated story from the club

https://twitter.com/TheAthleticFC/status/1773477416075465169?t=_0uwujHsXYaDKPWP3sx0mg&s=19

~Rebel~

I wonder if Hansi Flick is in the conversation for us at all. Was exceptional in his two years with Bayern, came first and third in the uefa manager of the year awards over his time in charge, and won every trophy there is to win in that brief spell. I'm kinda astonished that Bayern haven't gone straight back in for him to replace Tuchel already tbh… I get that they didn't like him leaving for the national job, but that national job was literally his life's goal, so I'm surprised they haven't just gotten over it now that it's out of his system.

He wouldn't be my final pick, but I'd have him in the running on a similar level as the likes of De Zerbi for sure.

BorneTobyWilde

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121951464#Comment_121951464

It's so strange the sense of despise for Gerrard, a Liverpool legend. He made a mistake going to Villa, should have stayed and won a few more titles at Rangers

BorneTobyWilde

Why are free kicks never scored in the PL anymore. Seems weird, that with every season that passes less and less are scored. They're get out of jail free cards, can turn a game on it's head, but we just never see them any more .

Girly Gal

Alonso staying with Leverkusen actually puts him up in my estimation, especially as he could walk into the Liverpool or Bayern jobs, it probably shows even more why he would be the perfect replacement for Klopp. It's hugely disappointing for us, but, I think it's the right decision for Alonso, I actually said back in January when he was first linked that I kinda hoped he'd stay at Leverkusen to see how far he could bring them.

Alonso staying does put us in a sticky situation as there really isn't a great alternative, I don't really know anything about Amorim, but it's a huge step up to the Premier league from the Portuguese league. Also we might not get to see Alonso as manager as he is likely to go to Madrid next year and might not be available whenever the Liverpool job becomes available again.

Zak Flaps

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121951701#Comment_121951701

…..

The Moist Buddha

Alonso will go to Madrid after Leverkusen, why wouldn't he, that team will hoover up trophies for the next decade

Enzokk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121951701#Comment_121951701

Think it is a combination of things, goalkeepers have gotten better at positioning themselves and the wall with more data and the addition of your man lying on the ground has made a huge difference. Before the wall could not jump too early in case the ball was played on the ground, now there is no need to worry about that. Put your tallest players in the wall and the player that takes the free kick needs to get it up and down quicker, so it has become more difficult for the player taking it.

The Rooster

I must be missing something with Amorin. I don’t see how winning a Portuguese league with one of the big 3 Portuguese clubs makes you a contender for LFC or similar sized club.

I’ve no interest in De Zerbi. Marco Silva and Gary O’Neill are doing just as good jobs at their clubs, both in much worse shape when they took over compared to what De Zerbi took over at Brighton. Not that I’m suggesting they should be on our shortlist, just that all 3 would be equally big gambles.

If we can’t get Xabi (and I’m not discounting it), we have to persuade PepL to have a go. The ‘boot room’ policy is defo not the way to go if the previous manager was mediocre or bad, but when replacing a very successful manager with quite a young team, it makes a lot of sense.

machiavellianme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121951993#Comment_121951993

So you'd rather have someone with no experience of the big seat ahead of someone with 6 years, but in a different league? I'd rather take a punt on someone who has at least some experience as the number one myself.

TitianGerm

If I'm remembering correctly Sporting nearly went out of business a few years ago so to get back and win a title after 20 years is really good.

Talisman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121951551#Comment_121951551

It was Gerrard who leaked the van Dijk transfer in a 'private' conversation with a journalist.

mosstin

Yeah, in some ways a move for Amorim has a whiff of the Benitez one back in the day. I think whoever we appoint is going to be a risk with Alonso probably being the 'least risky' option in that he'd have been loved by the fanbase immediately.

Bayern, Barca and probably United needing to replace managers this summer makes things more precarious also. Happy to have Edwards back and involved in the task.

Talisman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121951993#Comment_121951993

FC Porto and Benfica have dominated the Portugese league for the past 60 years. Sporting were dominant in the 1950s but now win the league once in a generation. Amorim won the title with Sporting in 2020/21, the last win before that was in 2001/02.

Liverpool is modeled on the academy system at FC Porto as envisioned by Pep Ljinders and Vitor Matos. Amorim is familiar with the Portugese academies and isn't likely to come in to the club and immediately set about trying to dismantle a system that works in order to put his own stamp upon it.

A few years ago I would have thought that Julian Nagelsmann would be the ideal replacement for Klopp. I described him before as a young Klopp that makes use of cutting edge technology to improve his players. However I think the experience at Bayern may have scarred him, he doesn't exude the same confidence and given the position the club is currently in it could be a disaster to appoint him to the role because I think he would want assurances that things would be run his way.

We have a recruitment and academy system that is working well and there's no need to mess with it. We need the new coaching staff to work within the framework and utilise the players to play attacking football. If we don't recruit any players that are complete egos or general assholes on a personal level then the life of the new manager is relatively simple. Coach the team to play attacking football and not have to fire fight issues behind the scenes.

Pat_bottom

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121952366#Comment_121952366

It probably didn't help that they were caught tapping him up either that be a fair good reason why they didn't sell.

rob316

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121951993#Comment_121951993

There is a world of difference in been a number 2 coach and number 1. I think Pep knows better than anyone the job of filling Klopp's boots.

Electric Nitwit

Xabi's confirmed he's staying

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/68692969

Girly Gal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121952499#Comment_121952499

All good points, but, Klopp is the magic ingredient that sews it all together, it'll be extremely difficult for any new manager to harness all of that, especially a manager who hasn't experienced the Premier League before, only a few elite managers have managed to do that, Wenger, Mourinho, Ancellotti, Conte, Gaudiola and Klopp, all bar Wenger had already achieved special things in a top league or Europe before coming to the Premier league, something Alonso looks on course to do season.

In my view Amorim is a big risk as, going from the Portugese league to Liverpool is a massive step up, a much bigger step than Alonso going from Leverkusen would have been. The alternatives to Alonso aren't great, I don't really know much about Amorim and the other contenders like De Zerbi aren't that inspirineither, if it is going to be Amorim I wish him all the best and hope he ( or whoever the new manager is) will be successful, but, expectations for next season need to be lowered.

waywill1966

https://amp.theguardian.com/football/2024/mar/28/larry-lloyd-former-nottingham-forest-and-liverpool-defender-dies-aged-75

Remember him more for his Forest days but he was a real hard man in defence along side Kenny Burns!

brevity

Good read on Amorim here.

He has won trophies, promoted youth and by all accounts is a good man manager. He has had bad seasons surrounded by good seasons which I think is a good sign too.

Id prefer him over anyone else now that Xabi is staying at Bayer.

https://www.attackingfootball.com/ruben-amorim-potential-liverpool-coach/

BorneTobyWilde

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121951935#Comment_121951935

Usually, in years gone by you'd get one every round of games, now their like hens teeth.

It would make one question the decision to shoot from a freekick in todays game.

BorneTobyWilde

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121951993#Comment_121951993

He's the Portuguese Gerrard in that sense, winning where it's impossible not to. We're just lucky Amorim didn't move to a relegation fighting team, and ruin his rep ., maybe it's at Liverpool where he'll do that 😮

Ottoman_1000

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121953172#Comment_121953172

Gerrard is an awful manager. Just stop with the nonsense...

mosstin

Eddie Howe mentioned. We can but hope. 😉

Enzokk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121951993#Comment_121951993

I don't know Amorin and his credentials to take over here, but you could say the same for Pep, right? He has only ever won at the biggest teams in the league where he has coached, and he got his start by having one of the best to ever play the game at his peak. Add in a players of the likes of Iniesta, Xavi, Henry, Eto'o, Yaya Toure, Dani Alves, how can you judge him when he had one of the 2 big teams and some of the best players of their generation in the same team.

Then he went to Bayern Munich, that only won the treble the year before and easily dominates all in their league and financially as well. Then he went to City, who has very few limits on spending. So how do we know he could be a contender to take over anywhere really?

I am being a flippant here, the chances to succeed here will be tough for whoever takes over. I am also just glad we have Edwards back and a DOF to give us some sort of direction. Having no DOF would have been terrible.

As for Xabi Alonso, I do find it interesting that the stories yesterday was that we had ended our interest in recruiting him. I think the journalists will have had very little sources for this. He told the board at Leverkusen last week already that he will stay, so it staying quiet so long is impressive. The story of us backing down was reported after Bayern sources mentioned he is not leaving and they are not getting him now. There was no quotes or reports from anyone with a source in our club at all, just journalists putting 2 and 2 together. Bayern pulled out and then they probably got confirmation he is staying at Leverkusen so naturally, we aren't interested any longer either. Interesting how the story seemed to develop.

Thud

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121953026#Comment_121953026

Mourinho manged ok moving from Portugal to PL

Girly Gal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121953242#Comment_121953242

Mourinho also won the UEFA Cup and CL in successive seasons, before coming to the Premier league, that's why I specifically said " had achieve special things in top leagues or EUROPE", Amorim hasn't come near that kind of success in Europe. Like him or not, it was clear to everyone that Mourinho was an elite level manager at that time.

robwen

Richard Hughes is said to be a big admirer of De Zerbi & tried to get him as a replacement for Scott Parker at Bournemouth

machiavellianme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121953026#Comment_121953026

Am I the only one who was disappointed not to see Rafa on your list of elite managers?

Girly Gal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121953373#Comment_121953373

Brighton play all 3 title contenders in their remaining fixture, if De Zerbi is in contention for the managers job, hopefully it'll soften him up for our match at the weekend for us to get a comfortable win and also drive Brighton on to take points of both Arsenal and City, if that happens and it leads to us winning the league, De Zerbi would be welcome to the managers job!

rob316

Amorim it looks like so. Fair play for Alonso coming out early and ending speculation and I have more respect for him staying where he is.

Girly Gal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121953383#Comment_121953383

Rafa not quite at the same level of the managers I mentioned, but, he did very well in his time with us. If the new manager is as competent as Rafa was I'd be happy.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121953409#Comment_121953409

Absolutely.

Electric Nitwit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121953409#Comment_121953409

Ah yeah, my respect for him has gone up even more. But that makes the disappointment even stronger too 😕

McFly85

He was always going to be mad to leave this year. Hes early in his career, highly regarded, and will likely have the opportunity to manage all of Liverpool, Madrid and Bayern in future.

Regarding who takes over at Liverpool I’m not quite ready to think about! Just know without Klopp a dropoff is inevitable, so just gonna enjoy the rest of this season!

brevity

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121953373#Comment_121953373

Something off about De Zerbi for me. Cant quite put my finger on it.

mosstin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121954088#Comment_121954088

With all the managers being linked with us, what I'd love above anything else with each of them is the chance to see how they'd fare in their next job if that makes sense. I'm including Alonso in that but I think it'll be just as informative to see him next season in the CL and working with a squad that'll most likely be stripped of some of its biggest names.

As for De Zerbi, Amorim, even Nagelsmann I worry that we'll be one job too early for all of them. Klopp came pretty much ready made for us but this time around we'll just be getting the raw ingredients of potential greatness. That's both exciting and frightening.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121954088#Comment_121954088

Under qualified.

Rodgers mark 2 imo.

I'll be seriously underwhelmed and worried if he is appointed.

SuperTortoise

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121951993#Comment_121951993

I read an article 2 weeks ago maybe it was posted in here i forget, but, it seems we might be taking the same approach to appointing a new manager that we do with signing players, the stats guys do their thing and a computer spits out a shortlist.