Their new Klopp: Liverpool could hire the "best young coach in Europe"

Liverpool have been beset by a great number of fundamental problems this season that have sent Arne Slot's system in a spin.

Fifth in the Premier League, Liverpool's hopes of qualifying for the pinnacle of European competition are on a knife-edge as the business end of the campaign draws near. They are still in the FA Cup and Champions League, but that could soon change, with quarter-final ties against Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain forthcoming (not to be pessimistic).

Liverpool are at a low ebb, but Slot would argue that there are any number of mitigating factors that have pulled him away from his elite reputation.

The fact that Liverpool have missed 102 big chances this season, for example, is unbelievable, and the head coach no doubt feels indignant toward the bluntness affecting his system. Hugo Ekitike and Mohamed Salah have been the main culprits there.

But that is a reductive way of looking at a deep problem. Tactically imbalanced, devoid of confidence and unable to do the basics, Liverpool are in real bother, and a not-too-distant future in which Slot manages elsewhere is hardly out of the question.

The latest on Slot's Liverpool future

FSG are outwardly standing by Slot and stressing that they are preparing for a summer transfer window with the Dutchman at the helm, but if Liverpool fail to turn their season round over the next two months, it's hard to see a future whereby he keeps his job.

Rumours already abound concerning who might replace him. Xabi Alonso is the frontrunner after he parted with Real Madrid this winter, but sporting director Richard Hughes might instead be inclined to turn his barrel in a different direction.

After all, there has been interest in Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann, and while the 38-year-old is contracted to the national team until 2028, a concerted approach from the Merseysiders may well tempt him into a career change.

Nagelsmann, formerly of RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich, is considered one of the world's finest coaches in spite of his comparatively young age, and given that it was reported that Nagelsmann was among the managers "set for interviews" after Klopp announced he would leave Liverpool in 2024, it wouldn't be out of the question to see interest revisited.

Why Nagelsmann could be the perfect Slot replacement

Nagelsmann might be young, but he's certainly not inexperienced, having earned his stripes in his late 20s and gone on to showcase one of the world's sharpest tactical minds. Nagelsmann has been described as the "best young coach in Europe" by journalist Josh Bunting.

Slot is not Klopp - but then, the German manager is one of a kind, and Nagelsmann wouldn't return his countryman's same firebrand passion to Anfield.

But Nagelsmann is an exponent of gegenpressing, and he could help guide Liverpool back toward a more full-throttle style of football, a ploy which could help combat the struggles against the Premier League's new direct tactical focus.

Journalist Kai Iliev has even hailed him as a “world-class manager”, and given that he employs a 4-2-3-1 formation, the German would help with a sense of continuity despite a period of inevitable change.

By contrast, Alonso might want to tinker and unleash a much-changed system, three centre-backs at the back.

No one can replace Klopp at Liverpool, and in that, FSG hit the jackpot when appointing Slot, a wholly different kind of leader who showed they got bang for their buck last year, marching toward the Premier League title.

Alonso is the obvious pick, but FSG have made a habit of heading down less-beaten tracks when making big decisions. If Slot's day truly is done as Liverpool's head coach, Nagelsmann's hunger and passion and tactical outlook might just make him the perfect fit.

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