By Steven Northover

It seems that the end to Arne Slot's reign may soon be upon us. The Dutchman, who won the league with Liverpool last season, has endured a torrid second season on Merseyside, with Liverpool now fourteen points behind league leaders Arsenal in sixth place - crucially outside the Champions League places.

Glory to Misery - Changes in the Offing

Credit: Liverpool FC

There have long been questions about his management style, such as not going into the dressing room pre-match, but it seems like pressure from within and without means that Slot is likely to be out of the door sooner rather than later.
His position has been further weakened by the recent sacking of Liverpool legend, Xabi Alonso from Real Madrid. The 44-year-old Spaniard has made a meteoric rise in his still burgeoning managerial career, winning Bayern Leverkusen's first ever Bundesliga title in 2024, and come close again a season later, before being stopped by a particularly formidable Bayern Munich.
Despite a dreadful half season at the Spanish giants, including 1-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield, the former midfielder still garners a strong reputation after his performances on and off of the pitch.
With that in mind, then, it's no wonder that the Tolosa born manager, who famously won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005, should be linked with a return to Anfield.

Tactical Differences

The most striking difference would likely be in formation. Until recently, Arne Slot preferred a 4231/433 formation, similar to his predecessor Jürgen Klopp. In recent weeks, however, Slot has moved towards a 4-2-2-2 with mixed results - a confident win against Marseille in Europe, but also a chastening 3-2 loss to lowly Bournemouth at the weekend. The effectiveness of either formation is dependent on having strong and gifted wide men - something Liverpool have sorely been missing this season.

Credit: The New York Times

Liverpool are unlikely to dip into the transfer market this January - having already missed out of Marc Guehi and Antoine Somenyo - it looks almost certainly that the central defence would have fairly a ‘slap-dash’ appearance a number of times throughout the remainder of the season. But given a summer (another expensive one, at that) rebuild, then Liverpool could easily buy in the players required for an ‘’Alonso’ team. Irrespective of where Liverpool finish this season,there's enough in the coffers to still have a significant outlay without encroaching into FFP or PSR rules - and given some of the performances of certain players this season, transfers will be an inevitable.

Is It Likely?

Credit: The Jakarta Post

As it stands, nothing has been confirmed by either Liverpool or Xabi Alonso. For his part, Alonso has stated that he wants a ‘’break’ until deciding what to do in the Summer - but then again, a certain Jürgen Klopp said the same.
Ultimately, like any top club, Liverpool would already be in contact with the Spaniard's representatives - of not the man himself. Of course, there is one man stopping anything happening. Arne Slot is still manager, and is likely to be until the end of the season - despite league woes, Liverpool are performing well in Europe, and are likely to get qualify for the knockout stages, should they get a result against Qarabag at Anfield on Wednesday.

With that in mind, it would seem reckless for Slot to be shown the door with still much to play for - including the FA Cup.

Credit: Football365