Liverpool have announced that Arne Slot will be leaving the club this summer. It is a decision that comes off as a surprise, considering how adamant the Reds had seemed to stick with him even a few weeks back. And it also raises questions about their lack of involvement in the race to hire Xabi Alonso, who has ended up joining Chelsea.
That is a decision that will raise eyebrows, to be honest. Yes, Chelsea fans will be delighted to have gotten the appointment over the line. But where not Liverpool that keen at all? Was the Slot exit a completely last-minute choice?
On paper, you would think that Alonso would be the perfect fit for Liverpool. He has a playing history with the club, won the Champions League with them and was a fan favourite. Also, he has proven himself as a manager. In fact, the Reds have Jeremie Frimpong and Xabi Alonso, two names who thrived under his management at Bayer Leverkusen.
Well, it appears that the decision might have been down to an eagerness to change up the style of football. According to Ben Jacobs, the aim is to establish a more front-foot, aggressive and urgent style of football. The process to appoint a successor is underway, with Andoni Iraola a leading contender. The primary objective is to recruit the candidate who best fits the preferred playing style criteria.
Liverpool wanted a change of style
Alonso found success with Bayer Leverkusen. And his Real Madrid stint, as brief as it was, might have been better than it gets credit for.
That being said, his football might not fit the style that Liverpool seemingly want. Alonso likes to play a possession-based style of football.
That is a better fit for Chelsea. We saw the Blues sway a bit from that under Liam Rosenior and fall flat as a result. On the other hand, Enzo Maresca did quite well with the possession-based style.
That is what this squad was built to play. And one would hope that Alonso is able to get the best out of them.
Can Alonso succeed at Chelsea?
It will be very interesting to see how things play out for Liverpool from here. They have taken a risk here. While Slot might have struggled in his second season, he did win them the league in the first.
Andoni Iraola did impress immensely at Bournemouth. But the weight of expectations will be very different at Liverpool, that is for sure.
As for Alonso, we all know what the expectation is at Chelsea. It is to turn the club around after what has been a tough four-year run under BlueCo. Does he have what it takes? We shall find out soon.
He certainly has his work cut out for him. He inherits a squad that was built after spending close to two billion pounds but could not even qualify for Europe. Every aspect of this team has been questioned over these four years. Now, it is up to the Spaniard to get a tune out of them and get them winning again.