In a parallel universe, we could now be referring to Xabi Alonso rather than Arne Slot as the new man in charge at Liverpool.
The Spaniard was the early favourite to replace Jurgen Klopp after the latter announced in January that he’d be leaving at the end of the season, but ultimately he opted to stay put at Bayer Leverkusen.
Speaking to the Daily Express, Mark Lawrenson suggested that the 42-year-old knew exactly what he was doing by reaffirming his commitment to the Bundesliga champions rather than jumping at the chance to manage the Reds.
The ex-Liverpool defender said: “The people I speak to, and I feel the same, think maybe the time to get the job was after Mr Slot. The pressure now will be immense and maybe Alonso has been really cute by saying ‘I’d love to have the job but not yet’, and that’s the way of the world.
“They will back him, though. There is no doubt about that because that’s the way the football club is. They know he’s going to be different, and anyone who doesn’t realise that is not a proper Liverpool fan.”
There are other case studies to show that replacing a long-serving managerial legend can be a poisoned chalice, as David Moyes and Unai Emery can testify from succeeding Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and Arsene Wenger at Arsenal respectively.
Inititally at least, it seems inevitable that Slot’s performance as Liverpool head coach will be viewed through the prism of what Klopp did before him, but as Lawrenson says, there’ll also be an acknowledgment that the 45-year-old won’t instantly be the second coming of the German.
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Perhaps Alonso was wary of being the man to go in straight after such an iconic manager and felt it better to bide his time while maintaining a good thing at Leverkusen, who he’s subsequently guided to an unbeaten Bundesliga triumph and a Europa League final appearance.
The risk with playing the long game is that the opportunity to manage at Anfield might never come again. If Slot proves to be a huge success and stays in the role for several years, will the Spaniard’s stock still be as high as it is now? What if he’s chewed up and spat out at his next couple of jobs?
Ultimately, we’re sure it’s not a decision that he made lightly; and amid a sea of managerial upheaval at so many other clubs around England and Europe, Liverpool chiefs can watch it all unfold from a distance in the knowledge that they’ve already got their man in the building.
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