Tomos Millward
Unusually for February, we are already aware of two high-profile managerial vacancies that will be available during the summer. These are, of course, the impending departures of Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool and Xavi at Barcelona. This has inevitably caused a managerial merry-go-round that will see officials at both clubs scrambling to replace two legendary figures of the game. This article will discuss what I believe to be the best options for both clubs to deal with the different challenges they are both grappling with.
Out of the two clubs, Liverpool is facing much fewer issues than Barcelona, but potentially the largest single issue of all: how to replace the iconic figure of Jurgen Klopp. Appointed in October 2015, Klopp’s transformation has seen his Liverpool side record some of the highest points totals in Premier League history, win everything in the English game, and reach three Champions League finals, winning one against Tottenham in June 2019. Beyond this, Klopp has been influential in the dissemination of his gegenpressing style and has been, alongside Pep Guardiola, the most significant manager in world football of the past decade. Replacing him will be no easy task.
The German arrived at Leverkusen with the club second-from-bottom and managed to guide the team to a 6th place finish and UEFA Europa League Semi-Final last season
However, the Liverpool hierarchy should feel lucky that there is currently a near-perfect suitor in Bayer Leverkusen’s manager Xabi Alonso. An immaculate playing career aside, the most significant achievement Alonso has on his resume is his current stint at Bayer Leverkusen. The German arrived at Leverkusen with the club second-from-bottom and managed to guide the team to a 6th place finish and UEFA Europa League Semi-Final last season. His side’s performances this season have been spectacular. Before their title-clash against Bayern Munich, they are unbeaten in all competitions and sit top of the table with 52 points in 20 games. Alonso’s style of play would suit the expectations of Liverpool’s fans well, employing a possession-dominant, high-pressing style which sees them dominate matches and averages a whopping 2.6 goals per game.
One issue is that Alonso’s tactical style is extremely different to the one Liverpool currently employ under Jurgen Klopp. Leverkusen line up in an untraditional 3-4-2-1, contrasting Liverpool’s traditional 4-3-3. In build-up, Alonso’s side use their three Centre Backs and double pivot to seamlessly bypass their opponent’s press with extremely aggressive vertical passing. Their attacking standouts include a free-roaming Florian Wirtz representing the closest thing in modern football to a traditional Number 10 and Jeremie Frimpong enjoying a staggering amount of freedom that has seen him have the greatest box presence of any fullback in Europe this season.
Whilst this style of play is innovative and exciting, fulfilling that need for Liverpool fans, it is vastly different than the ultra-direct style Jurgen Klopp has utilized recently and would omit certain key players from the current Liverpool team. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool’s most important player as they look towards the future, would have to revert to playing in the wide areas of the pitch to match Frimpong’s role in the current Leverkusen side. This would not utilise his tremendous ball-playing ability and Frimpong’s aggressive box entries are extremely opposed to Alexander-Arnold’s strengths and style of play. Mohammed Salah would also have to revert to a more central role behind Darwin Nunez upfront, Luis Diaz has no obvious place in this system, and Liverpool lack a left-footed centre-back in the mould of Edmond Tapsoba. These would be the most pressing issues if Alonso were to take over Liverpool and want to adhere to his current system.
Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, and Dominik Szoboszlai would likely be able to replicate Alonso’s own intricate and technical midfield system
However, Klopp’s recent investments in a heavily technical midfield with the signings of Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, and Dominik Szoboszlai would likely be able to replicate Alonso’s own intricate and technical midfield system. There is also the fact that managers often adapt styles of play when they arrive at new clubs. If this were the case, Alonso’s success and tactical acumen at Leverkusen serves to illustrate his suitability for the job, regardless of whether he would implement the same setup at Liverpool.
Alonso’s allure and credentials are strong and well-suited to the Liverpool job. His playing career has set him up for the magnificent job he is currently doing at Leverkusen where he has exhibited all the traits of a world-class manager. This is without even mentioning his young age of 42 and the potential for him to replicate the length of Klopp’s tenure if his appointment was successful. Regardless of the issues of specifically replicating his exact style from Leverkusen, his original conception of this style illustrates a manager with both clear principles and ability. Adapting to a club he already knows is well within his reach.
The new Barcelona manager would have to play an attractive brand of football, operate under significant financial impediments, and be able to successfully coach Barcelona’s current crop of players
Barcelona’s replacement of club legend Xavi is a more complex issue due to the club’s poor performances, financial issues, and the apparent lack of a ready-made replacement unlike Liverpool’s situation with Alonso. In previous eras, the replacement of a Barcelona manager would be much more straightforward given the prestige of the club and its on-pitch success. However, the task that the new manager of the Catalan club would have to endure serious challenges, some new and some age-old within the club. The new Barcelona manager would have to play an attractive brand of football, operate under significant financial impediments, and be able to successfully coach Barcelona’s current crop of players. There is no coach better suited to this than Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi.
His possession-based approach looks to invite the opposition to overcommit in their press and places a heavy emphasis on technical ability
Barcelona is one of the very few clubs in world football where playing style is a significant measure of a manager’s success. The Catalan club have been built on the foundations established by Johan Cruyff from the late-1980s to mid-1990s. This foundation was later built upon by Louis Van Gaal and Frank Rijkaard before, arguably, being perfected during Pep Guardiola’s tenure. This style is intrinsic to Barcelona’s way of operating and has managed to successfully distinguish them from other colossal powers in world football such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Manchester United. For many within Barcelona, this style is more important than competing for the game’s greatest prizes. De Zerbi would be an appropriate fit here. His possession-based approach looks to invite the opposition to overcommit in their press and places a heavy emphasis on technical ability, especially from his defenders and midfielders.
This can be seen with Lewis Dunk sitting in the top 1% of centre-backs for passes attempted with a whopping 105 per 90 minutes, and Billy Gilmour’s top 10% placement for Progressive Passes with over 7 per 90 minutes. This style of play would suit Ronald Araujo’s ability to carry the ball forward and Andreas Christensen’s ball-playing ability, seen with his high pass completion rate of 94.7%. Technical midfielders such as Gavi, Pedri, and Frenkie De Jong, if he remains at the club, would maximise De Zerbi’s current system and play eye-catching football at the same time. De Zerbi’s style of football is as close to the Tiki-Taka of old that Laporta and his board will find in modern football and will massively please Culers who are desperate to be re-invigorated following this underwhelming season.
Barcelona’s economic situation is dire, to put it mildly. They are wallowing in historic debts of over €1 billion, have had their wage bill reduced to €270 million from €648 million, and still owe money to other clubs for transfers and their own players in deferred wages. The new Head Coach will have to operate under these heavy financial restrictions and still be able to produce an exceptional style of football as previously mentioned. This is something that De Zerbi would be capable of doing.
Despite more recent signings increasing in price, many of De Zerbi’s significant players at Brighton were relatively inexpensive. These signings include Billy Gilmour for £9m, Pervis Estupinian for £15m, Alexis Mac Allister for £7m, and Moises Caicedo for just £4.5m. De Zerbi’s ability to extract so much out of these inexpensive players is a clear indication of his suitability for the Barcelona job and could potentially be the most necessary strength of Xavi’s successor.
De Zerbi and Brighton’s track record of developing players and improving them significantly places him the best position possible
Barcelona’s most significant strength that has managed to endure in recent times is La Masia’s ability to produce world-class academy products. Current players include Lamine Yamal, Gavi, Alejandro Balde, and Marc Guiu. This list also doesn’t include Golden Boy winner Pedri, bought for €25m from Las Palmas. These players are not only capable of developing into domestic league winners but, especially in the case of Yamal, Gavi, and Pedri, could become some of the best players in the world. Placing their tutelage in the best hands possible is crucial for Barcelona’s future success. De Zerbi and Brighton’s track record of developing players and improving them significantly places him the best position possible to oversee the next stage of Barcelona’s latest golden generation.
De Zerbi is the ideal candidate for Barcelona’s vacancy. He is an intelligent coach, one of the most influential of the last 20 years according to Pep Guardiola, and would be able to operate under significant financial restrictions whilst maximising Barcelona’s young core of players to play an attractive and successful style of football.
Whilst there are inherent risks with any managerial appointment, at 42 and 44 Xabi Alonso and Roberto De Zerbi are two of the finest young managers in world football. They both come with exceptional records and are uniquely suited to the Liverpool and Barcelona jobs, with their tenures at Bayer Leverkusen and Brighton offering a vision of what the best football in Europe could soon look like at two of its biggest clubs.
Tomos Millward
Featured image courtesy of Rick Barret via Unsplash. Image use license found here. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of @bayer04fussball via Instagram No changes were made to this image.
In article image 2 courtesy of @officialbhafc via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
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