Liverpool's Quest for Klopp's Successor: Ruben Amorim or Roberto de Zerbi?

With news of Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp leaving the club at the end of the season, the Reds have been scrambling to find a suitable replacement for the manager. Many fans' top pick was Bayer Leverkusen manager and former Liverpool player, Xabi Alonso.

The Spanish national made 143 appearances for Liverpool between 2004 and 2009, winning the Champions League with the club in his first season there.

Alonso released a statement recently claiming he will be staying at Leverkusen for at least one more season, leaving many to speculate on his interest in the Real Madrid job come the end of next season. 

With Alonso seemingly off the table for the next manager at Liverpool, fans are wondering who will take over the helm after Klopp.

Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi is being considered alongside Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim.

Amorim has been Sporting’s manager since March of 2020, leading the club to over 200 wins under his leadership. He currently sits at an astounding 70% win percentage, which is leaps and bounds above de Zerbi’s 46% at Brighton.

Sporting leads the Liga Portugal with 67 points, proving that Amorim can handle the pressure of leading the charge for the title at Liverpool.

Amorim tends to favor a 3-4-3 formation, utilizing his wide midfielders as winger that play up and down the entire side of the pitch. This tactic could prove interesting when paired with Liverpool wingers Luis Diaz and Mo Salah.

De Zerbi's Brighton team currently sits at 9th in the Premier League thanks to the efforts of former Liverpool players James Milner and Adam Lallana.

Tactically, Brighton favor a 4-2-3-1 in most situations during a game, but they can often be seen switching over to a 4-2-4 when pressing on attack. With an abundance of forwards, Liverpool could certainly make this tactic effective if de Zerbi is to take over for Klopp.

However, there is much to be said about the levels of competition in the Premier League as opposed to the Liga Portugal, but that remains to be seen as we wait to hear more news on potential managerial candidates.