Liverpool have the players needed to implement Xabi Alonso’s favoured three at the back formation, according to former England striker Gabriel Agbonlahor.
As Arne Slot continues to fail in the eyes of most supporters, Alonso remains the favourite to take over if the Dutchman is sacked.
However, one reservation about the former Real Madrid boss is that his usual formation would not suit the Liverpool squad. If Agbonlahor is to be believed, however, this is simply not true.
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How Liverpool could line up in a 5-3-2
Since the days of Rafa Benitez more than 20 years ago, Liverpool have regularly played in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation.
They have certainly never buckled to the trend of playing three at the back, which has sometimes ruled out certain managers from joining.
Though Alonso may yet find himself in this category, Agbonlahor has told Ally McCoist on TalkSPORT that Liverpool could play a different system in order to get the best out of Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak as a front two.
“Do you know what I can see? Liverpool playing a 5-3-2,” said the former Aston Villa striker.
Jeremie Frimpong of Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Florian Wirtz of Bayer 04 Leverkusen and head coach Xabi Alonso of Bayer 04 Leverkusen shaking hands and celebrating their sides win during the DFB Cup: Semifina
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“Frimpong and Kerkez as wing-backs, they’ve got Leoni the centre-half who’ll be back hopefully, maybe bring in another centre-half, the three in the middle and Ekitike and Isak as two centre forwards.
“I think that formation fits them both in down the middle. Imagine those two, Ally, wow.”
Would this system suit Alonso?
Although Alonso has regularly set his teams up with three central defenders, particularly while at Leverkusen, he has not tended to play with two out and out strikers.
Instead, he has played more with a front three, with two mobile forwards operating behind a number nine.
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Nevertheless, Alonso would surely want to get his best players on the pitch at all times at Liverpool, and would likely find a system that revolved around Isak, Ekitike and Florian Wirtz.
But, while the system may vary from what we saw in his Leverkusen and Madrid days, Agbonlahor has still highlighted how the Liverpool players could very well play with a back three.
Frimpong and Kerkez could raid as full-backs, with Virgil van Dijk joined by two from Giovanni Leoni, Jeremy Jacquet and Ibrahima Konate.
For Isak and Ekitike, this would arguably be the ideal formation, and while a switch like this seems improbable under Slot right now, a change in coach could open the door to something different.
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