Opinion: Liverpool cannot afford to miss the boat on Xabi Alonso

Football moves quickly. Twelve months ago, Arne Slot was celebrating a Premier League title in his debut season, with many praising Liverpool’s transition into the post-Klopp era. The Dutchman seemed calm, modern, and tactically flexible. For a while, the gamble paid off.

But football memories are short when performances collapse.

The 2025/26 season has been deeply underwhelming from almost every angle. Results have deteriorated. Performances have become passive and uninspiring. Even victories often feel unconvincing, lacking the intensity and emotional energy Liverpool supporters expect from their team.

Perhaps more damaging than the results themselves has been the growing disconnect between Slot and the fan base.

Some of his public comments have raised eyebrows, while several squad decisions have frustrated supporters even further. Players who many fans believe still have plenty to offer have found themselves isolated or ignored entirely. The atmosphere around the squad increasingly feels cold and uncertain.

Liverpool supporters are famously loyal to their managers. Jurgen Klopp endured difficult spells before building one of the greatest modern eras in the club’s history. Fans at Anfield generally want stability, not constant change. That is why the reaction against Slot now feels so significant.

When a crowd that usually protects its manager begins turning emotionally, the warning signs become impossible to ignore.

Xabi Alonso Feels Like the Obvious Successor

Two years ago, Liverpool had the opportunity to appoint Xabi Alonso and chose Arne Slot instead. At the time, it was considered a bold decision. After last season’s title triumph, it appeared to be the correct one. Now, however, circumstances have completely changed.

Alonso is available again, and Liverpool may have arrived at the exact moment where making a decisive move becomes necessary.

Some will point to his difficult spell at Real Madrid as a reason for caution, but context matters. The environment at the Bernabeu has consumed many elite coaches over the years. Internal politics, dressing room power struggles, and relentless pressure make it one of the hardest jobs in world football.

What Alonso achieved before that at Bayer Leverkusen should carry far more weight. 

Winning an unbeaten domestic double in Germany during the 2023/24 season was extraordinary. Breaking Bayern Munich’s dominance alone would have been impressive. Doing so while remaining unbeaten elevated the achievement into something historic.

That Leverkusen side played with identity, courage, tactical intelligence, and emotional intensity — qualities Liverpool fans desperately want to see again. 

Alonso didn’t just build a winning team. He built a team people enjoyed watching.

The Emotional Connection Matters

Modern football increasingly revolves around tactics, analytics, and recruitment models, but emotional connection still matters enormously at clubs like Liverpool, and few candidates could instantly reconnect the supporters with the club quite like Alonso.

He is already part of Liverpool folklore because of his achievements as a player. Fans remember Istanbul. They remember his intelligence, composure, and leadership on the pitch. There is already trust and affection there before he would even take charge of his first match.

That emotional bond could become incredibly important during a transitional period.

Right now, the atmosphere around Liverpool feels fractured. The energy around the club is flat. Alonso’s arrival would immediately create optimism, excitement and belief again. Supporters would rally behind him from day one.

Is Alonso Actually a Tactical Fit?

One criticism occasionally raised is that Alonso’s football is stylistically closer to Slot’s possession-based structure than to the heavy-metal intensity of Klopp. There is some truth in that observation.

Alonso values control, intelligent positioning, and tactical organisation. His teams are not built purely around chaos and relentless pressing. However, reducing his football to “more of the same” would be extremely simplistic.

His Leverkusen side combined technical quality with aggression, fluid attacking movements, and emotional intensity. They looked modern, but they also looked alive. That is what Liverpool currently lack.

Under Slot, Liverpool often appear predictable and emotionally disconnected. Alonso’s teams, by contrast, play with personality and confidence.

The tactical differences may not seem massive on paper, but the psychological impact of a new era under Alonso could transform the entire mood surrounding the club.

Liverpool Cannot Afford to Wait

This may ultimately be the biggest factor of all.

Elite managerial opportunities rarely remain open for long. Alonso will not stay unemployed forever. If Liverpool hesitate, another major European club will almost certainly move first. That is the real risk facing FSG now.

The gamble is not appointing Alonso. The gamble is waiting too long, backing a project that increasingly appears broken, and watching one of the most attractive managerial candidates in world football disappear somewhere else.

Because if Liverpool truly believe Alonso could eventually become their manager, then the question becomes simple: