Have you ever seen a managerial tenure quite like Arne Slot's at Liverpool? A year on from winning the Premier League title, he was relieved of his duties, ruthlessly sacked after a season where the Reds lost their identity.
For winning the title, Slot will always go down in Anfield history. Yet, the way he leaves Merseyside behind will no doubt be full of regret.
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It's the end of an era in general. Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson will not be back at Liverpool next season. As a result, getting rid of Slot as well certainly makes sense. It's an ideal opportunity to welcome in a new era with a new head coach at the helm.
Could that man be Andoni Iraola? Well, it certainly looks likely.
Liverpool could hire 3-4-2-1 Iraola alternative
Within moments of Slot's sacking, the name on everybody's lips was Iraola.
The Spaniard has left Bournemouth after his contract at the Vitality Stadium came to an end and reports earlier this week had suggested that he was keen on becoming the new Liverpool boss.
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At that point, however, it looked like Slot was going to stay in the Anfield dugout. Liverpool were all set to give him another chance at getting things right.
That said, in a surprising turn of events, the Dutchman was given the boot on Saturday. Iraola has become the immediate frontrunner and looks odds on to become the new manager.
Yet, there is an alternative and he goes by the name of Pierre Sage. According to reports in France, via Sport Witness, the RC Lens manager is high on their shortlist of options to replace the outgoing Slot.
In fact, it's reported that the Liverpool hierarchy have already held talks with Sage, dating back to January of this year.
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With the blessing of the French club, a delegation from Anfield met with Sage earlier this year to discuss his credentials and they were clearly left impressed enough to put him in contention to become the new head coach of the Reds.
To make matters even more intriguing, the 47-year-old has already declared that he has dreamt of managing Liverpool.
What Sage could offer to Liverpool
When Mohamed Salah released his statement in the build-up to his final game for the club, he voiced his concerns about the style of football Liverpool had been playing under Slot.
"I want to see Liverpool go back to being the heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear and back to being a team that wins trophies," the winger said. "That is the football I know how to play and that is the identity that needs to be recovered."
Slot's record at Liverpool
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It was a brutal statement but in the form of Iraola and indeed Sage, they could well rediscover that. The Spanish head coach is renowned for his high intensity and heavy metal football, a style that went down a storm with Bournemouth supporters who saw the Basque-born manager take them to the brink of Champions League football.
There are doubts over whether Iraola would be able to employ the same sort of style at a team who are playing every three or four days but he is surely the best candidate on the market right now.
Sage is slightly different. At Lens, he has favoured a 3-4-2-1 formation. Iraola favours a four man backline.
That said, their style of football is similar in that they love a high press. Call it the gegenpress if you will, something that Jurgen Klopp famously brought to Merseyside with great success.
Liverpool Legends' Juergen Klopp reacts
When it came to pressing sequences in Ligue 1 this season, only three teams completed more per 90; Lille, PSG and Monaco. The same three teams were the only sides to allow the opposition fewer passes per defensive action.
Passes per defensive action (PPDA) is a metric that defines how many passes the opposition are allowed to complete before being tackled or intercepted.
So impressive were Lens that they registered 9.50 high turnovers per 90 minutes. That was the second best total in the entire division. Only Champions League winners PSG were better in that regard.
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Sure, Ligue 1 and the Premier League are very different beasts but if Liverpool cannot conclude a deal for Iraola, Sage certainly looks like their next best bet in terms of finding a manager who operates with a similar playstyle.
Salah may no longer be at the club but his wish for another Klopp-like character to return to Anfield could become a reality very soon.
RB Leipzig's Yan Diomande in action with 1. FC Magdeburg's Alexander Nollenberger Related
[Better than Diomande: Liverpool ready to sign "the next Mbappe" for Iraola](https://www.footballfancast.com/better-than-diomande-liverpool-preparing-bid-for-kroupi/ "Better than Diomande: Liverpool ready to sign "the next Mbappe" for Iraola")
Liverpool are working toward a few attacking signings to restore Slot's title-challenging team.