With Jürgen Klopp expected to leave soon, Liverpool is searching for a new manager. Right now, it seems like Rúben Amorim, the head coach of Sporting CP, is the best option.
Fans’ focus will go elsewhere because Xabi Alonso has officially declared himself out of the running to succeed Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool. It seems like Rúben Amorim has emerged as the front-runner, and the Reds are not surprised by this, even though Alonso has only just made his intentions publicly known.
The search for Klopp’s replacement at Anfield will have been ongoing for some time. While virtually nobody else was aware of Klopp’s desire to depart until the beginning of the year, Liverpool had an advantage when it came to investigating possible exit destinations as he notified FSG of his intention to go back in November. Now that he is back, Michael Edwards will help to further that Richard Hughes has been appointed as the new sporting director following that procedure.
But what will Liverpool be receiving if it’s Amorim? Many people who have followed the 39-year-old Portuguese coach’s career thus far have compared him to Pep Guardiola. Currently, his team is expected to win the Liga Portugal once more this year, as Amorim was the manager when Sporting’s 19-year league title drought came to an end in 2021.
Given that animosity, Amorim, a former Benfica player, wanted to win over the Sporting supporters. It will undoubtedly have helped that he won the league in his debut season, and he might win it again before losing out. Whilst winning is important, how it is accomplished is just as important, and Sporting has a group of intriguing players.
On his roster are Gonçalo Inácio, Ousmane Diomande, and Viktor Gyökeres. Amorim frequently uses a 3-4-3 style that is dependent on wing-backs. Even while that might not remain the same at Liverpool, it’s still fun to imagine what might happen if he stuck to it.
Conor Bradley, who was previously on loan at Bolton, can play as a wing-back; Andy Robertson can do the same on the other flank, maybe with Trent Alexander-Arnold occupying the midfield position. Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté may need to adjust to playing alongside a different center-back as O Jogo has linked Liverpool to a move for both Inácio and 20-year-old Sporting star Diomande, who has a $86 million (£68 million/€80 million) release clause that could entice the Reds (as well as Chelsea, Arsenal, and Bayern Munich).
As he is presently, Darwin Núñez may be flanked in the attacking positions by Luis Díaz and Mohamed Salah, but they would need to tuck in even more. Dominik Szoboszlai and Harvey Elliott would also make the most sense in that forward slot in a 3-4-3, albeit it becomes more challenging to fit them in.
It seems far more sense to stick with a back four and stick with the current 4-3-3 formation, with the team assembled to play that way. However, if they wanted to switch things up, Amorim or whoever else comes in has options, and buying a new center-back is probably going to be a top priority regardless of the formation. Acquiring a second center-back this summer is probably going to be a top priority.
Even if Liverpool’s players are now far more comfortable playing with a back four, a few additions and a positional adjustment for Alexander-Arnold might create new opportunities. Similar to Alonso, Amorim does not guarantee that he would play with a back three at Anfield simply because he does it presently. Still, it’s a possibility.
