After Xabi Alonso, Ruben Amorim now appears to be the favourite to become Liverpool’s manager. If he is appointed, two players could be in danger at the club.
So there it is. Xabi Alonso will not be returning to Anfield this summer. The dream we all had has now abated into oblivion. So, the question that must be asked: what next?
The answer for Liverpool seems obvious. It lies with Ruben Amorim. A 39-year-old manager, who has an exceptional record in Portugal over the last few years.
Not only has Amorim delivered a league title for the first time in 19 years for Porto, he is also on course to repeat that achievement this season.
Playing with an exciting pressing style, that is also concentrated on keeping possession and having a very organised defensive unit, Amorim’s football promises to excite a lot of supporters.
It’s not as gun ho or heavy metal as Jurgen Klopp’s gegenpress, but it’s pretty much as close as you can get to the organised chaos the German has instilled at Liverpool.
However, there are a few key differences in the way Amorim sets-up his teams. And those differences could mean a few Liverpool players facing uncertain futures.
What is Amorim’s formation? And how does he like to play?
Unlike Jurgen Klopp, Amorim favours a 3-4-3 system – which is a variance on Klopp’s 4-3-3 set-up. One of the key differences being the use of the full-backs.
In Amorim’s system, a full-back is expected to play in more advanced positions, and push forward to almost play like a winger. Meanwhile, the winger in Amorim’s formation will drop into more central areas to function as a number ten.
In addition to that, Amorim also likes to play with three centre-backs – one playing a bit further forward to progress the ball and dictate possession.
In front of Amorim’s defence are usually two relatively defensive minded holding midfielders. Meanwhile, up top he has played with a traditional numbers nine.
Who could be in danger of being sold from the Liverpool team?
If Amorim intends to use the same formation at Liverpool, there will be losers and winners from his decision.
Immediately, Liverpool’s centre-backs will be winners, since more of them will be on the field. For someone like Jarell Quansah, this could mean even more minutes next season, and that’s great.
In midfield, though, the situation would be the exact opposite. Amorim prefers to play two deeper lying midfielders. This would particularly suit Wataru Endo and Alexis Mac Allister.
Potentially Curtis Jones and Stefan Bajcetic could also be used in the role. Dominik Szoboszlai has also shown to be capable of playing there. However, he might be used further forward as a winger or number ten – similar to Harvey Elliott.
The only anomaly is Ryan Gravenberch. It’s difficult to see where he fits into the Amorim equation and how many minutes he would play. Given he would be realistically competing for one of those deep lying midfield roles, he would immediately become fourth or fifth in the pecking order. That could see him at the risk of being sold.
The second player who would face an uncertain future is Luis Diaz. The Colombian doesn’t quite have the defensive output to play as a wing-back in Amorim’s system, but neither does he suit the winger or number ten role on the left flank.
Diaz predominantly likes to hog the line and in Amorim’s system, it’s difficult to see where he would fit in. Given there is already interest in his services ahead of the summer, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him being sold if Amorim is appointed.
