Liverpool Next Manager News: How Arne Slot Allowed Standards to Drop at Anfield as Andoni Iraola Moves into Odds-on Favourite for Role

It feels like Liverpool missed a trick by not taking up the decision to sack Arne Slot when it was clear that Xabi Alonso would be open to a move to the Premier League.

Alonso was believed to be attainable in 2024 when Jurgen Klopp announced he’d be stepping down as manager. The former Liverpool midfielder returning to England. The Spaniard opted to instead remain at Bayer Leverkusen having guided the German giants to their first ever Bundesliga title.

As such, Liverpool pursued Slot. The Reds won the Premier League title in the Dutchman’s debut campaign, while Alonso was snapped up by Real Madrid as Carlo Ancelotti’s replacement. It didn’t necessarily feel like a sliding doors moment. This summer, it will be.

Alonso has agreed to take over as Chelsea head coach. He’ll officially succeed Liam Rosenior at the Stamford Bridge helm on July 1st. Slot, meanwhile, continues to plod along as Liverpool boss, at least for the time being.

Liverpool's dip under Slot

The Reds managed to wrap up a Champions League finish. A draw with Brentford on the final day of the season was enough to finish fifth following their 4-2 loss at Aston Villa. Even so, Liverpool shouldn’t be in this position. Having eased past their Premier League rivals in the 2024/25 season, many expected to maintain last season’s consistency a second time around.

While that is easier said than done, Liverpool invested heavily in the squad last summer. Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and Giovanni Leoni all signed for the Merseyside giants. It should have been enough to really challenge for England’s top honour once more.

One key reason behind the dramatic dip has been that this Liverpool iteration aren’t as hard working as they were under Klopp. There is an argument to be made that all Slot did was build upon the German’s foundations.

And the stats backed that up.

Not only have Liverpool’s goals scored per game (2.26 to 1.68) and Expected Goals hauls (2.2 to 1.58) both dropped, so, too, have been the decisive ‘hard work’ returns.

Indeed, the number of ball recoveries per game has dropped (48.87 to 45.05), as has the number of times possession has been won in the defensive third (18.63 to 15.68). Ground duels won have also dipped from 34.18 to 31.

This is a worrying drop, especially as possession has only risen slightly from 57.92% to 59.24%. This is not a substantial enough rise to justify the significant drop-off in off-the-ball metrics.

There have been murmurs that the fitness levels are no longer up to scratch, and the numbers back up the theory. Liverpool, as a collective, just aren’t working as hard when out of possession to ease pressure on the goal. Shots conceded per game is another stat that has increased from their title winning campaign, rising from 10.2 to 11.5.

Unsurprisingly, the number of goals conceded per game has gone up from 1.08 to 1.41. That they have conceded 13 goals from the 80th minute this season compared to eight last season speaks volumes.

Liverpool's final third issues highlighted

What’s more, the dip in hard work has also impacted how Liverpool hurt opponents.

They scored more counter-attacking goals (14) than any other team in the Premier League last season. This season, they’ve only managed six. There are mitigating factors for that decrease, of course.

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s departure hurt more than many may care to admit. The right-back built up a rapport with Mohamed Salah, another whose form has tailed off. The Egyptian scored as many counter-attacking goals last season as he has total goals this time around (7).

Luis Diaz’s move to Bayern also wasn’t properly addressed and the Reds are missing the Colombian, especially with Cody Gakpo promoted to first-choice left winger. Despite leaving last summer, Diaz still ranks fourth for successful dribbles (53) of all Liverpool players over the last two Premier League seasons. It’s a metric led by Salah (74). 

It’s also concerning that title rivals Arsenal and Manchester City haven’t seen such a dramatic drop off in the aforementioned defensive metrics. Rather, City have seen these increase.

Slot out, Iraola in?

So, how do Liverpool fix this issue? Well, sacking Slot was the best place to start. Given the level of investment last summer, the board will have demanded a much-improved showing. Yet, the performances over the campaign didn't make for great reading.

It’s why links with a move for Andoni Iraola make sense. The Spaniard, who managed his final game as Bournemouth head coach last weekend weekend, turned the Cherries into the most awkward opponent in the division. Iraola’s Bournemouth ranked top for ball recoveries (1920) in the division.

The high-octane style of football is exactly what Liverpool fans will hope to witness at Anfield once more, and it’s an approach that Iraola can deliver. In pursuit of “Heavy Metal” football, the best they can hope for is to bring the former Rayo Vallecano man to Merseyside.

Factor in that Iraola and Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes have previously worked together at Bournemouth, and it’s a match made in heaven. What was evident, though, was that it couldn't carry on like this under Slot.

The decision to give the former Feyenoord boss the season does make sense. He masterminded a second Premier League title in the club's history after all, but after a significant downturn these last 12 months; the time was right to pull the plug on the Slot machine.