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EVERY football pundit and Premier League fan has been postulating on who should replace departing Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
Heavy favorite and former Liverpool player Xabi Alonso took himself off the board by stating he is staying with Bayer Leverkusen which is on course to win the German Bundesliga this season. And that was the right thing for him to do—stay put because the German club gave him his break.Â
Furthermore, following Klopp is a tough act to follow.Â
Other names include Thomas Tuchel, Ange Postecoglou, Pep Ljinders, Julian Nagelsmann, Roberto de Zerbi and Ruben Amorim.
Here’s my take.
The coach who should come in should have two traits—he knows how to win and has won a championship or two somewhere, and he has the personality to represent the club.
Hey, tactical nous is a given so let’s not even mention that.
For my reason No. 1—you know how to win and have a championship—which is exactly why I will not select Postegoclou and de Zerbi.Â
They may run pleasing tactical or exciting football, but how do you tell a team how to win when you have not won? Many of their players still have won everything there is in football with Liverpool.Â
How do you buy into a system and a coach who hasn’t won?
That has the makings of an ugly divorce.Â
It is one thing to build a team from the ground up and its wholly another to work with a team that has won something.
Even the criteria of “winning” can be split into two. There are those who win by building a team and others who inherit a winning team and still win. The latter—it is just my opinion, but it’s the system. Not necessarily the coach.Â
So to clarify that statement—it is having won the hard way by building a team, a system, and a culture.
Liverpool is not Man City that splurges on players. So the coach is good at managing what he has.Â
And furthermore…Â
He ought to have the personality strong enough to take on a club with the pedigree of Liverpool. To spell it out, he is media savvy, and can represent the club well.Â
This eliminates Tuchel from the discussion.
So who in my opinion should be in the running?
Zinedine Zidane
AS both player—one of the all-time best and a coach, he displayed vision, flexibility and attacking football, and an ability to unite the dressing room. And he is a winning manager in his own right having led Real Madrid to multiple honors. He is a philanthropist with a big heart. He will fit well except that he might not have the open checkbook he had while at Madrid.
Claudio Ranieri
He knows how to improve teams and get them over the hump from Leicester in England to Cagliari and Fiorentina in Italy, Valencia in Spain, as well as Monaco in France. He also makes his teams work without the financial muscle of top clubs.
And he is a hit with the media because of his humor.Â
Julian Nagelsmann
IN his first managerial stint, he gave TSG Hoffenheim its best finishes ever where after narrowly avoiding relegation, secured a Champions League berth, twice. He then took RB Leipzig to the Champions League semi-finals.Â
Nagelsmann transferred to Bayern Munich where he won three titles.
He is currently the German national team coach.Â
I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the three. It’s a win-win situation for all. They all fit the bill.
Now the question is, can Liverpool get them?Â
We will find out soon.
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