Liverpool’s decline under Arne Slot during the 2025/26 season has been alarming and swift.
After the 3-2 loss to Bournemouth, who had won just one in 13 before kick-off, even the staunchest defenders of the manager are now questioning him.
Jamie Carragher, who has previously backed the Dutchman, has expressed his fear for Liverpool after they dropped out of the Champions League places.
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He said: “Once you start fearing Champions League qualification for next season, that’s when I think we’ve got a completely different proposition, where we’re talking about the manager’s job. That, for me, is completely different.”
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Xabi Alonso pictured during Real Madrid's La Liga match against Real Betis at the Bernabeu (Credit: Getty Images/Alberto Gardin/NurPhoto).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Alberto Gardin/NurPhoto
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The Merseyside outfit are yet to win a league fixture in 2026, and fans have had to watch top-four rivals Chelsea and Manchester United experience upturns in form after changing coaches.
While FSG are yet to act on replacing the 47-year-old, it has been suggested post-Bournemouth that Slot will leave Liverpool at the end of this season, ‘whatever happens’.
If that’s the case, Xabi Alonso, who spoke to the club about the job following Jurgen Klopp’s exit in 2024, seems the obvious candidate.
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But there may be another manager who is the perfect fit for the Anfield faithful.
Arne Slot suffering from Jurgen Klopp hangover
Prior to Bournemouth, Liverpool had gone on a 13-game unbeaten run across all competitions.
Positive on paper, perhaps, but it was the manner in which the Reds were playing that really angered fans.
Slot’s Liverpool have been called ‘boring’ this season, with the sideways passing and inability to break opposition teams down when they sit in a low block incredibly frustrating.
Such ire is to be expected when supporters spent close to a decade watching Klopp’s ‘heavy metal’ football.
Even in those early years when the German was still piecing together his title-challenging squad, there was never that much discontent around results, as the football was fast-paced and entertaining, which is all Liverpool fans want.
How would you feel if Slot sent this XI out against Qarabag?
Four changes from Saturday…
Liverpool Predicted XI vs Qarabag
Liverpool Predicted XI vs Qarabag
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Edin Terzic would bring the Jurgen Klopp spirit back to Liverpool
On that front, Edin Terzic seems like the ideal successor to Slot if Liverpool are, as has been suggested, going to move him on later this year.
Terzic spent several years working under Klopp, reporting directly to the ex-Reds boss and learning the ‘gegenpressing’ philosophy when he was at Borussia Dortmund.
Many years later, the 43-year-old stepped into the 58-year-old’s shoes at Signal Iduna Park, and the similarities were striking.
Terzic formed a passionate relationship with the BVB faithful, just as Klopp did in Germany and then at Anfield.
That is perhaps something Slot is unable to achieve as effectively, given the type of coach he is.
But more importantly, Terzic utilised aggressive counter-pressing, and rather than the slow, sideways build-up we have seen from Liverpool a lot this term, his Dortmund side were well known for quick transitions and rapid attacks.
There are a couple of differences between the two great coaches, of course, as Klopp never really ‘parked the bus’, whereas Dortmund managed to reach the 2023/24 Champions League final with a more pragmatic approach in the latter stages of the competition.
Terzic was ultimately unsuccessful in his pursuit of European glory, losing to competition specialists Real Madrid in the showpiece. He decided to leave Dortmund that summer and has been out of work since.
Why that remains the case is pretty baffling, but at a time when Liverpool players and fans are in need of something fresh and exciting, Terzic seems like a great potential option for FSG to at least look at.
He’s not the next Klopp, but with supporters crying out for a return to the German’s style, Terzic could be a great option.
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