Liverpool have obvious Slot replacement staring them in face that Klopp labelled 'fantastic'

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Liverpool have the opportunity to turn to Zinedine Zidane as pressure continues to grow on Arne Slot. The Reds boss is facing questions over his future after suffering a ninth defeat in 12 games.

Their 4-1 home loss to PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday night is the worst result of that run, closely followed by Liverpool’s recent 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Anfield. Rather than responding to setbacks, it seems Slot’s side are getting worse. What was once considered a blip is now a major concern for a team and manager that won the Premier League just six months ago.

Slot has been forced to answer questions about his job , which would have been unthinkable at the start of the campaign. While there can be difficulties in finding the right replacement mid-season, former Real Madrid boss Zidane is one coach who is primed for a return to work.

Zidane has been away from football since stepping down from his second stint in Madrid four years ago. However, his record of three consecutive Champions League triumphs cemented his status as an elite manager.

There was often a narrative that Zidane was successful with Los Blancos as he was able to manage the characters within his talented squad, rather than being tactically astute. It was not an idea that Jurgen Klopp subscribed to, though, as the former Liverpool boss praised Zidane’s tactical acumen ahead of the 2018 Champions League final, which Madrid went on to win.

“If a lot of people think Zinedine Zidane has not a lot of tactical knowledge and then people think the same about me that would be really funny,” Klopp said. “The two managers in the Champions League final have no clue about tactics? What would that say about the game?

“For me, Zinedine Zidane is one of the best five players of all time in football. I’m longer in Liverpool than he is at Real Madrid and he can win the Champions League for a third time. That’s never happened before.

“Unfortunately I have to accept that he is as brilliant as he was as a player. This group of players work like a clock from Switzerland.

“I saw his team playing a lot of times and it is just fantastic football. It is organised when it needs to be organised and chaos when it needs to be chaos.”

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While potentially parting from Slot could be painful, it seems that Zidane has all the necessary tools to succeed at Anfield, including Klopp’s seal of approval regarding his coaching ability. The only stumbling block Liverpool may face is Zidane’s desire to become France manager, with Didier Deschamps set to step down after this summer’s World Cup.

That does not necessarily mean Zidane would not welcome an approach from Liverpool. In 2022, when asked if he would take a job in the Premier League, Zidane told L’Equipe : "Never say never. Especially when you are a coach today. If I go back to a club, it is to win. I say this with all modesty.

"That's why I can't just go anywhere. For other reasons, too. Certain conditions make things more difficult. When someone says to me, 'Do you want to go to Manchester [United]?' I understand English but I don't fully master it.

"I know there are coaches who go to clubs without speaking the language, but I work differently. To win, many elements come into play. It's a global context. I know what I need to win. Of course, I might not always win, but I know that you need to have this, this and this. And I want to do everything on my side to optimise my chances of victory."

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Whether Zidane feels his English has improved enough to be a success is unknown. However, the 53-year-old’s availability is one of many spectres surrounding Slot’s future. The Liverpool boss is aware of the pressure he is under to find an immediate solution for his team before the club are forced to make what would have previously been an unimaginable decision.

“If any manager around the world loses football games, let alone so many as we’ve lost, it’s quite normal that people have an opinion about that,” Slot said when asked about concerns over his future. “And if that’s fair or not fair, that’s for the people to judge. But that is normal. I think it is that if you lose so many times, that people start talking about that.

“I think it’s a shock for everyone. For the players, for the journalists over here, for me. For everyone this is a shock that is very, very, very unexpected when you look at the quality we are having.”

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