Jurgen Klopp leaves at the end of the season, who will be Liverpool s next manager?

Mondo Sports Updated on 2024-02-01

Liverpool are a team that takes data analysis very seriously, and they have a very strong data science team, which the BBC calls "the team that can build the atomic bomb". Whether they are choosing a coach or buying players, they attach great importance to data model analysis and evaluation results.

Jurgen Klopp's arrival at Anfield in 2015 was largely the result of data analysis and screening by Liverpool's data science team. At the time, Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti were the favourites, but Liverpool didn't simply listen to general opinion, opting for Klopp and insisting it was a data-based decision.

Therefore, the selection of Liverpool's next head coach will also be greatly influenced by Liverpool's data science team. Club chief executive Billie Hogan had already said at his press conference last Friday: "From our point of view, I don't want to set a timetable for the next manager. First of all, because this is the process that we have to go through, the way we operate as a football club is to make sure that we have all the information and all the data, we have done the proper screening and due diligence and then finally a decision is made, and it is announced at that time. ”

Let's take a look at a few of the favourites, as well as possible underdogs.

Xavi Alonso is the favourite to be the rumoured favourite, and one of the main reasons is that Alonso has been in excellent form for Bayer Leverkusen this season. As a player, he made more than 200 appearances for Liverpool, helping them win the Champions League and FA Cup, and Liverpool fans will welcome him back at Anfield as coach.

Xavi Alonso led Real Sociedad B to promotion to La Liga for the first time in 59 years before taking charge of Bayer Leverkusen. Since arriving at Bayer Leverkusen, he has an overall record of 28 wins, 10 draws and 7 defeats in the Bundesliga, with a whopping 62 winsWith 2 per cent and seven defeats coming last season, Bayer Leverkusen are unbeaten in the league so far this season.

Bayer Leverkusen have picked up 45 points at the halfway point of the Bundesliga this season, with only Bayern Munich (2013-14 and 2015-16) twice in Bundesliga history scoring more points at halfway through the season.

Bayern Bayer Leverkusen drew 0-0 at home to Borussia Mönchenglad** last Saturday. However, the team continued to perform well, with Bayer Leverkusen having a whopping 69 touches in the opposition box, setting a new record for a Bundesliga game since detailed statistics were available in 2004/05.

Let's take a look at the similarities between Xavi Alonso and Jurgen Klopp's coaching styles.

In the Bundesliga this season, Bayer Leverkusen have completed a total of 208 high clearances (HTS), 39 of which have been completed and four goals have been scored.

Liverpool have completed a total of 202 high clearances (HTS) in the Premier League, with 30 shots on goal and three goals scored. There is not much difference between the two teams' stats, but Liverpool have played two more league games than Bayer Leverkusen.

Jurgen Klopp's side have always been known for their high-speed counter-attacks, but Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool may be more possession-oriented than some think. In every Premier League season under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool have averaged at least 58 possession3. When they won the league title in 2019-20, they averaged a whopping 63 possession5%。

And this season, only three teams in the top five leagues have surpassed Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen (Paris Saint-Germain 656, Barcelona 65, Manchester City 644%)。Under Alonso, Bayer Leverkusen's average possession rate has increased from 51 last season8 to 62 for the season3%。

Secondly, both teams enjoy making aggressive passes. Liverpool have completed an average of 36 per game this season2 positive passes, more than any other team in the league, while Bayer Leverkusen averaged 35 per gameSeven positive passes, also the most of any Bundesliga team.

Another important component of Liverpool's game is their personnel turnover, who have averaged 39 times, second only to West Ham United (44)。In comparison, Bayer Leverkusen have only 2 personnel changes per game7 times.

In addition, Liverpool's ability to play against the wind is also very strong, and Bayer Leverkusen's performance in this regard is also excellent.

Next, let's take a look at a few possible underdog candidates. The first is current Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi. De Zerbi's Brighton have also impressed in the Premier League, and he is as passionate as Jurgen Klopp.

De Zerbi is two years older than Alonso, but he has been in charge for more than a decade and began managing Italian lower-division side Boaio in November 2013. Prior to catching Brighton's attention, he coached at Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk. In 2022, he succeeded the departing Graham Potter as Brighton's manager.

Coincidentally, De Zerbi's first Premier League game was against Liverpool at Anfield, and his new side caused plenty of problems for Liverpool and ended the game 3-3.

Since De Zerbi took charge, only seven teams in the Premier League have won more games than Brighton in the same period (22 of 53 games), while only five have lost fewer games than them (16).

During this period, only Manchester City (64. ) In the Premier League, only Manchester City (642%) had more possession than Brighton (62.).2%), only Liverpool (882) had more shots on goal than they (850). This season, only Liverpool (760) and Tottenham (732) have more positive passes than Brighton (679).

Secondly, Brighton have also made 193 high clearances this season and they are more efficient than Liverpool, completing 37 shots and scoring six.

However, De Zerbi's side may be a concern when it comes to defensive consistency. Since De Zerbi took charge, only Nottingham Forest (10) have kept fewer clean sheets than Brighton (11) in the Premier League. In terms of goals conceded, only Bournemouth (91), Nottingham Forest (89), Tottenham (87) and Wolves (82) have more goals than them (81).

Ruben Amorim is another upset. In 2020, Sporting Lisbon paid a sizable liquidated fee to bring in the young coach from Braga, which also caused doubts among fans at the time. However, in his first full season in charge of Sporting Lisbon, he led the team to victory in the Portuguese Premiership for the first time in 19 years. Moreover, Amorim's side have lost just one of their 34 league games.

In the 2021-22 season, Sporting Lisbon finished runners-up in the league and they currently lead the table this season. Amorim has managed Sporting Lisbon in 132 league games, with 98 wins, 20 draws and 14 defeats. Only Porto (101 wins, 20 draws, 11 defeats) have outperformed them over the same period.

Under Amorim, Sporting Lisbon have averaged 60 possession in the league4 per cent, while in his first two full seasons in charge, the team was also very good defensively, conceding 20 and 23 goals respectively. However, the team's defensive performance has slipped in the last two seasons, with them conceding 32 goals last season (4th in the league) and 19 in their first 19 games this season, but they have scored a staggering 53 goals in 19 games.

Sporting Lisbon thrashed Casa Pia 8-0 on Monday and currently lead the league table with 49 points. Amorim's excellent performances in Lisbon are likely to be noticeable as well.

Nagelsmann's contract with the German national team runs until this year's European Championships, and Klopp's name is likely to be associated with the German national team's managerial position at that time. And Nagelsmann could also be a potential candidate for Liverpool's boss by then.

As a very young manager, the 36-year-old Nagelsmann has an impressive coaching resume. At the age of 28, he had already led Hoffenheim to prominence.

In his first season in charge of Hoffenheim, he helped the team to relegation, and in his second season he led Hoffenheim to fourth place in the Bundesliga and to the Champions League.

After moving to RB Leipzig, he led them to the semi-finals of the 2019-20 Champions League and finished runners-up in the Bundesliga the following season.

His impressive coaching record also caught the eye of Bayern Munich, who arrived in the 2021-22 season and won the league title. After being sacked by Bayern, he took over the work of the German national team, with a contract that ended at this year's European Championships.

Under Hoffenheim Nagelsmann, the team's win percentage in the Bundesliga was 44 and 54 at RB Leipzig4, 66 during Bayern1. He should be able to cope with different challenges with ease. In terms of average possession, it was 52 in Hoffenheim9 at RB Leipzig 575 , 64 at Bayern7%。

In terms of positive passing, they have been able to complete an average of 46 per game in his championship season in charge of BayernWith nine positive passes, they are well ahead in the Bundesliga, and only Stuttgart have more personnel on the pitch than them.

Thomas Frank, who was a long-time assistant coach at Brentford, was promoted to head coach in 2018 and has remained there ever since.

Brentford themselves are a team that is heavily data-driven, so it's likely that Frank will also catch the eye of Liverpool, and his managerial experience is just as impressive.

He led Brentford to the final of the Championship promotion play-offs in 2019/20, but lost to Fulham; A year later, he led them to the final of the promotion play-offs, beating Swansea 2-0 to secure promotion to the Premier League.

After entering the Premier League, Frank's side were comfortably relegated in two seasons, finishing 13th and 9th respectively.

One problem though, is that Frank's side is not a possession-oriented team and they rely much less on passing and possession. Only seven Premier League teams have made fewer passes than Brentford in the Premier League this season, while 10 teams have averaged more possession than them (48.).7) In terms of positive passing, there are also 10 teams that have more than them (562).

In terms of possession over the ball, they managed just 161 attempts in the league, with 25 shots on goal and one goal finish. That could change with the return of Ivan Toney, although Brentford also seem to be facing difficulties without their superstar, having lost eight of their first 10 matches in all competitions (win, draw, one) before his comeback.

However, Brentford are also a team that likes to change personnel in games, but they are not as accurate as Liverpool.

However, like Amorim, Frank could also be a dark horse.

While the selection of a manager is a very big decision for Liverpool, the team actually knew that Jurgen Klopp would be leaving at the end of the season last November, so they should have done a lot of research and analysis over the past three months. But whoever succeeds Jurgen Klopp will be an extremely difficult task.

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