Sport

Could Xabi Alonso fix Liverpool’s problems?

As the clock ticked closer and closer to full time, Liverpool’s travelling support at the Etihad Stadium sang loudly even as their team suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat to Manchester City. The name being sung, however, was someone not even employed by the Anfield club. Not yet, anyway.

Xabi Alonso’s name rang around the Etihad Stadium, making a statement on the sentiment towards Arne Slot from many Liverpool supporters at the game. This season has been a disappointing one and the Dutch manager is taking a lot of the blame. Saturday’s embarrassing loss to City certainly didn’t help his cause.

Another defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday would increase the pressure on Slot who is struggling to find answers to the questions that have dogged Liverpool all season. A large percentage of the club’s fanbase have decided a managerial change is required.

The appointment of Alonso, however, might not be an instant fix. It was only a few months ago, after all, that the former midfielder was sacked by Real Madrid. At the Santiago Bernabeu, Alonso was unable to implement his style of play and failed to win over the egos in the Real Madrid dressing room.

Of course, Alonso did an exceptional job at Bayer Leverkusen, leading the club to the Bundesliga title for the first time in their history. Not only this, Leverkusen played a brand of exciting, dynamic football that delivered entertainment as much as it delivered results. Alonso masterminded the whole thing.

At Liverpool, Alonso could recycle the 3-4-1-2 formation that worked so well for him in the Bundesliga. The Reds signed Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz, two players Alonso worked under at Leverkusen, last summer. It’s reasonable to assume they would relish a reunion with their former manager at their new club.

While Leverkusen played on the front foot, they could also control games in the middle of the pitch. Alonso even became more pragmatic in his second full season in charge, sometimes dropping his team’s defensive line to get positive results against opponents like Bayern Munich.

All of this surely sounds encouraging to Liverpool who have desperately lacked balance all over the pitch this season. They have lost control in and out of possession, as demonstrated by the way Manchester City were able to cut through the Reds at will during Saturday’s FA Cup demolition.

Real Madrid had some of the same issues when Alonso was their manager for the first half of the season. However, this was largely due to the balance of the squad inherited by the former midfielder. Alonso’s high-intensity style of play was incompatible with having to play Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior as part of the same forward line.

Alonso tried to impose his own ideas. Arda Guler was converted into a central midfielder to give Real Madrid some control of possession. Trent Alexander-Arnold was pushed into central midfield. Alonso attempted to play a front two. None of it really worked and the players turned against him.

While many Liverpool supporters want Slot to be sacked, there’s no suggestion Fenway Sports Groups (FSG) feel the same way. The Dutchman has had the backing of the club’s leadership group until now and no reporting has emerged to hint at a change of heart. Slot might still have credit in the bank from last season’s success.

With every result and performance like the one produced by Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, though, Slot’s stock dips. It’s becoming harder for the Anfield club not to look at someone like Alonso and imagine how he might do better with the same group of players that are underwhelming in red.