The Liverpool board are convinced that Xabi Alonso is the ‘only option’ to replace Arne Slot as Reds head coach next season, according to reports.
The Reds have been underwhelming this season after winning the Premier League title in Slot’s first season in charge as Liverpool head coach.
Liverpool are currently sixth in the Premier League, three points off third-placed Manchester United, and in danger of not qualifying for the Champions League.
Most outlets reporting on Slot’s future agree that failure to qualify for the Champions League is very likely to cost the Dutchman his job despite credit in the bank from last season.
There was a report on Monday that claimed the only way Slot would stop Xabi Alonso from taking over next season is if Liverpool won the Champions League.
It added that Alonso had ‘verbally agreed’ to take over at Anfield on a three-year contract in the summer, as long as there isn’t an extraordinary pick up in results and performances under Slot.
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And now TEAMtalk insists that there is ‘no evidence of any pre-agreement with any potential successor’ despite the reports on Monday about Alonso.
However, the readiness of the former Real Madrid head coach ‘has created significant internal debate and the club’s chief decision makers are understood to be divided on the best course of action; or at least not yet certain on which way the pendulum will swing’.
And TEAMtalk add that Alonso is ‘viewed as the peak and only option to replace Slot as manager were FSG decide to go in a different direction’.
Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has revealed what he thinks has gone wrong this season under Slot with the Reds “confronted by raw aggression”.
Souness told talkSPORT: “I thought he was very good last year. It was the perfect storm for them to win the league last year, but they were consistent.
“You don’t win the league by accident and then it’s just been excuse after excuse this year.
“He said he had 30 preparation notes and he’s thrown 27 or 28 in the bin.
“Teams are not saying to Liverpool ‘we’re at Anfield today. Let’s give them a really nice game of football and let’s play the way they want us to play’.
“They’ve come up with obstacles and it’s not new. When I was at Liverpool, the likes of Terry Mac (McDermott) hated playing at Anfield. He hated it because he had nowhere to run because people sat deep.
“Did they try to play football against us? No, they would launch everything into the box. They would put a few of us on our backsides to see if we really fancied it on the day. If you play for Liverpool that is the price on the ticket.
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“You’re going to be confronted by raw aggression, not so much in the modern game, and you’re gonna be confronted by people wasting time. You’re gonna be confronted by people launching into the box. Deal with it, embrace it.
“No, it’s coming and get on with it and do the business.
“They’re not as aggressive when they don’t have the ball. When you close down you have to do it collectively.”
He continued: “They talk about players and Liverpool’s midfield being good at this and good at that. Some of them are very good on the ball, but not so good at working hard when you don’t have the ball and making life good.
“They’re not the same team. You have to point out that (Mohamed) Salah has not turned up this year. The numbers tell you that.
“How many games in the last seven years has he been the difference in terms of creating or scoring a goal that would change a game? That’s a big problem for them.
“But they have to stick together at this time. It wouldn’t be beyond them to win the Champions League because they’ve still got that 90 minutes of greatness in them and it could happen whenever the game.”
When asked if Slot had to win the Champions League to save his job, Souness replied: “I won’t answer that one. I just know that they have to improve.”
He added:”He had a glorious year last year. You don’t get a job normally as a football manager with a club going well, but that was one of the rare occasions where he walked into Anfield and inherited a great, great situation.
“I don’t think it changed too much looking at last year from my eyes and this year you can bet he has done everything the same, starting training at the same time using the same words, using the same training methods and preparation for games.
“It’s not happened. So he’ll be scratching his head saying why have they dropped off so much.”
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