Not Alonso - so who should replace Klopp at Liverpool?

According to Alonso, Bayer Leverkusen is the best place for him to be.

This article was initially released on February 23rd in a different form.

The ex-midfielder for Spain, who seems likely to guide Leverkusen to win the Bundesliga, was rumored to be sought after by two of the clubs he had previously played for, Liverpool and Bayern Munich.

Liverpool now requires a fresh manager for the initial time since October 2015 due to Klopp's announcement that he will be relinquishing the position at the end of the current season.

During his time at Anfield, Klopp has succeeded in winning a variety of prestigious titles including the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, two League Cups, Club World Cup and Uefa Super Cup. Liverpool is also currently in the running for both the Europa League and top-flight victories, highlighting Klopp's successful management of the team.

Carteret Analytics, a company that gives thorough evaluations of managers to clubs in Premier League, EFL, Bundesliga and MLS, has reviewed several potential candidates, along with Klopp, to determine who would perform excellently in the job.

Initially, when the evaluation was carried out, Alonso, who was still in contention, stood at fifth position among the six individuals who were considered as possible contenders.

The corporation states that Klopp has accomplished remarkable triumphs over the previous six years based on outcomes, but also due to his exceptional level of 'soccer smarts' as shown through his individual statistics.

As an instance, his capacity to foresee events and make decisions ahead is highly remarkable. Furthermore, his ability to guide and execute plans on the battlefield exceeds that excellence.

If you're curious about the definitions of strategic intelligence and tactical command, keep reading. The key to finding a successor for Klopp is all about analyzing the metrics.

We rank the contestants based on Carteret's assessment of their aptness. This evaluation involves analyzing several crucial factors to provide an unbiased evaluation of each coach's advantages and drawbacks.

The conclusions are grounded in real outcomes obtained from the previous six seasons. These results are gradually attributed to more recent seasons and compared to the competitiveness of the corresponding league.

Manager Ratings: Defined Metrics

The achievement rating goal: A way of measuring overall capability that focuses on winning football games, instead of skills improvement in players or maintaining the financial stability of the club.

General evaluation (measures taken into account): The evaluation of the head coach's achievements throughout the last six seasons to come up with a score. However, this score considers their individual performance, in terms of whether they exceeded or fell short of expectations in their role.

Strategic intelligence evaluation: The capacity of the manager to equip his squad with necessary skills and knowledge, and scrutinize the adversary team, in order to increase the likelihood of triumphing in the upcoming game.

Tactical command score: Gauge of the manager's capability to alter the course of a game (while it's still being played) and, specifically, to create advantageous conditions for their team from diverse gameplay circumstances.

The attacking coefficient or success-adjusted attacking coefficient is a way to gauge if a manager is more inclined towards playing an offensive style of football, and how this approach can affect the team's overall success. Basically, the question is whether the team's winning streak is a result of their attacking gameplay.

The team's shot conversion rating versus the opposition's shot conversion rating is an essential measurement that shows how well a team can boost their chances of winning matches. Can they capitalize on the opportunities they generate?

Ratio of shot creation: The number of opportunities generated by a team managed by a coach.

Ball possession: The amount of time a team controls the ball during a match.

Is Ruben Amorim From Sporting Lisbon Better Than The Real Thing?

Surprisingly, the ideal candidate to replace Liverpool's manager has been identified as Amorim, aged 39 and from Portugal, by Carteret.

After leading Sporting to their first top-tier championship in 19 years in 2021, his reputation has notably improved. Carteret has suggested that the data indicates that he would make an exceedingly attractive candidate for the position of Liverpool's next manager.

The results take into account that Amorim has worked in a league that is not as competitive as Klopp's. However, they indicate that Amorim's strategic intelligence rating, tactical command rating, success-adjusted attacking coefficient, and shot creation ratio are all higher than Klopp's. Additionally, both coaches have similar ratings for shot conversion and overall possession levels.

Julian Nagelsmann: Hype, Headaches, And Patience With A 'Genius'

The ex-coach of Bayern Munich, who is 36 years old, became the manager of Germany in September. His agreement will only last until July 2024. Subsequently, he will be free to join another team after the European Championship finishes this summer.

Before, he had the agent Klopp shared - Marc Kosicke. The Liverpool manager praised him as a "young horse" and a "great coaching talent". Additionally, Carteret rated him as having the best strategic intelligence among everyone.

The results of the analysis indicate that the coach from Germany adopts a defensive strategy, but he manages to achieve positive outcomes for his squads. He uses a systematic, deliberate and exploratory approach to the game.

However, Carteret notes that his ability to interact with others must be adequately investigated and his gameplay approach might become an issue if not achieving victories.

Bayern Munich's Tuchel: Defense In All Aspects

Except for Klopp, Carteret thinks that Tuchel, the manager of Bayern who will be resigning this summer, is the best among the group of head coaches when it comes to showing the capacity to win games at the required level in recent times.

Tuchel does a great job in preparing his teams to increase the chances of winning the upcoming game. However, Carteret believes that Tuchel is not as good as Klopp when it comes to changing the course of a match.

The ex-manager of Chelsea, who guided Bayern to victory in the last season, has a defensive approach that is similar to that of Nagelsmann. This style of play may pose a difficulty for fans of Liverpool and for achieving the highest potential of the current Liverpool attackers.

Does Ange Postecoglou Only Believe In Attack?

Carteret discovered that Postecoglou and Klopp have several significant resemblances. They both possess strategic intelligence, tactical expertise and a shot creation ratio that is almost equal (although lower in comparison to Klopp). They also have comparable overall possession stats.

However, objective analysis has shown that the idea that he has a very aggressive style of play is not entirely accurate. According to Postecoglou's attacking coefficient, which is 23.18, his style is actually 16% less aggressive than Klopp's.

Carteret suggests that this shows a playing style that is not as forward-thinking, and goes on to mention that the defensive aspects of that approach were not as effective.

Carteret stated that if you look at certain basic measurements that can demonstrate successful qualities that can be applied elsewhere, the candidate in question is a strong contender for the Liverpool manager role. Nevertheless, there may be other individuals who are even more suitable for the job.

Does Roberto De Zerbi Play With Passion?

According to Carteret, other than the short period he spent at Shakhtar Donetsk where he achieved a win rate of 66% and secured the Ukrainian Super Cup, De Zerbi's teams have consistently placed in the middle of the rankings.

Considering his performance so far, it's hard to conclude that he has what it takes to lead Liverpool to victory in the Premier League.

Carteret discovered that his metrics do not measure up to Klopp's skills. In fact, Carteret's metrics are noticeably lower in all areas including strategic thinking, tactical expertise, offensive ability, and accuracy in converting shots.

People have expressed that De Zerbi has caused a stir in the United Kingdom, along with Brighton as a whole organization. However, if we look at his performance in an impartial manner, looking beyond personal opinions on his tactics and character, it becomes apparent that he does not meet the necessary standards (in all important aspects) for the upcoming manager role at Liverpool.