On Sunday, Liverpool suffered their first defeat since Jurgen Klopp's moving announcement that he would step down from his role as manager after the 2023/24 season, ending an illustrious, near nine-year tenure at Anfield.
Still first-placed in the Premier League, preparing for the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea, hosting second-tier Southampton in the FA Cup fifth round and the bookmakers' favourites to win the Europa League, Liverpool will be in a fantastic position to continue the fight across the upcoming campaigns.
That said, it's imperative that FSG get the German's replacement right, with an exciting list of names compiled on the shortlist…
Liverpool's manager shortlist
While Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso and Brighton & Hove Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi have been two of the big names linked with a move to Merseyside this summer, Sporting Lisbon's Ruben Amorim continues to be linked with the position.
Liverpool correspondent Neil Jones, writing in his Caught Offside column, has revealed that while Alonso is the favourite, Amorim is one to keep an eye on.
With many admirers in the Premier League, the Portuguese tactician has the man management and tactical nous to succeed at a club such as Liverpool, and would be a shrewd alternative to lead this next chapter at the outfit.
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ByLuke RandallFeb 7, 2024 Ruben Amorim's Sporting Lisbon career
Separate reports have suggested of late that Amorim has a €20m (£17m) release clause in his contract with the Liga Portugal side, who trail table-toppers Benfica by two points with a game in hand, but his pedigree could prompt FSG to grant such an outlay to preserve Liverpool's calibre as title challengers.
Winning the Portuguese top-flight in 2020/21 – no small feat given Benfica and Porto's monopoly – Amorim has proved his worth as a high-class coach over the past few years and now the question centres on his tactical translation to a prestigious and demanding institution in Liverpool.
It's a step up, there's no doubt about that, but there is little to suggest that Amorim doesn't have what it takes to prosper as Klopp's successor, playing an attractive and possession-based style of football, holding possession for 59.3% of matches in the league this term.
Liverpool are more direct in their offensive movements but have held 59.6% of possession on average across the Premier League campaign and have certainly adapted and changed from the heavy metal approach that Klopp's early days were defined by, pure football, guns blazing.
Praised for his "special" managerial ability by journalist Zach Lowy, Amorim implements an intelligent and sequential process, starting from the back and utilising ball-playing defenders to progress the ball through the thirds – the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold's strengths will flourish in this regard.
But he will need an orchestrator in the middle, a player of adept technical skill to connect the departments and maintain fluency. He need look no further than Alexis Mac Allister.
Ruben Amorim would be perfect for Alexis Mac Allister
After a dismal 2022/23 campaign, Klopp made sweeping changes to his midfield and started the summer spree with the £35m signing of Mac Allister from Brighton.
Winning the 2022 World Cup and leading the Seagulls to European qualification, the Argentine midfielder is dynamic, energetic and intelligent and embodies the qualities that Klopp's Liverpool needs to thrive.
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 16% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 19% for passes attempted, the top 20% for progressive carries and the top 10% for blocks per 90.
1.
Eduardo Camavinga
Real Madrid
2.
Hakan Çalhanoğlu
Inter Milan
3.
Ilkay Gundogan
Barcelona
4.
Nicolo Barella
Inter Milan
5.
Federico Valverde
Real Madrid
The £150k-per-week ace has been playing deep this season but has been immense in this unnatural position, showing that he can play the conduit-like role in Amorim's system perfectly.
To exemplify this point, the 24-year-old might have only posted one goal and one assist apiece across 18 Premier League matches this term but he has showcased his skills through other areas, completing 88% of his passes, averaging 2.9 tackles, 1.2 interceptions, 6.1 ball recoveries and 5.9 successful duels per game, also succeeding with 63% of his dribbles, as per Sofascore.
Once described as a "superstar" by pundit Joe Cole, Mac Allister has been one of the Premier League's most underrated simmer transfers this season and has been vital to the fluency and cohesion of the Reds team.
It's also worth noting that Amorim has been known to tweak his tactics to the situation ahead: in other words, he bends and shifts certain cogs in his managerial mechanism to give his side an edge and a versatile and multi-functional centrepiece such as Mac Allister would ensure that his prospective move to Liverpool would be seamless.
Sporting do tend to favour the centre when driving the ball forward and Mac Allister's distribution and tenacity would only ensure that Liverpool make this adjustment, with Klopp's gegenpressing formula usually reliant on wide players stretching teams on the counter, forcing turnovers.
Amorim is certainly not the only candidate for the job and the likes of Alonso and De Zerbi have systems that would have their perks and then some, but only one man will be anointed and FSG are not exactly averse to delving down the shrewder road when making big decisions for the club.
Therefore, Amorim might not be the No. 1 target nor the preferred successor to Klopp's iconic position at Liverpool but given his tactical style and how it would benefit key players such as Mac Allister, it might just be the move to make.