Arne Slot vs Xabi Alonso is a lesson for the new wave of superstar coaches

At the start of the year, when five of Europe’s biggest clubs were looking for new managerial candidates, an official involved in elite-level recruitment let out a sigh. “There is nothing so difficult in football as choosing a coach,” was the complaint.

The frustration was that there are so many variables, especially when a manager moves from one financial level to another. They might have the right style, but not the right personality. The tactics might fit, but not the culture.

Although clubs try to add some science to it by feeding details through algorithms, there is still a huge element of human trial and error. You can’t always tell how a manager’s approach translates into a different dressing room.

Liverpool hosts tonight’s Champions League game at Anfield with a twist on that given Bayer Leverkusen manager, Xabi Alonsocould indeed they were in the dressing room at homeinstead of Arne Slott.

Given these challenges in selecting a manager, it is striking how perfect Alonso seemed for Anfield. The Basque had of course played at the stadium as a much-admired midfielder who was key to Liverpool winning the Champions League in 2005. This ensured he had the experience and personality to handle the big stages, which lent himself to a persuasive managerial charisma .

Underpinning this is a highly sophisticated tactical ideology, one that Alonso’s personality helps enforce. It was only more attractive that the approach has elements of Jurgen Klopp’s game, all of which contributed to the historic achievement in breaking Bayern Munich’s stranglehold on German football by winning the undefeated domestic double.

There are other echoes of Klopp in such managerial alchemy. Alonso just looked perfect.

And yet, it’s hard to believe that even someone as ideal as Basque could have done as well as Slot. The Dutch manager’s start is as close to perfect as it gets in terms of results. It was remarkable.

While many could reasonably say that the fixture list was good, giving Slott an easy landing, Liverpool responded well to the increasingly difficult tests. It was late equalizer against Arsenal and then the comeback against a good Brightonas Liverpool added intensity to their control.

These are the two parts of the form they are on now. While it’s fair to say that we won’t see the “real” Liverpool until they have a pretty tough run of games, it’s equally fair to say that this isn’t a true slot team yet. These are just the early days of a completely new tactical approach for the team, where it feels like the main thrust so far has been wider control of possession. What will it look like when Slot has the team fully tuned, or even all the players he wants?

These are exciting times for the club and they are playing in an exciting game at Anfield.

Leverkusen’s more entrenched approach may test where Liverpool stand now as the German side look to end Slot’s 100% record in the Champions League so far. Alonso’s side have two wins and a draw in their three matches. Both teams can go some way to secure a place in the top eight automatic qualification spots.

With the goal still looking so opaque, with this week’s games only half way through the group stage, the clash between Liverpool and Leverkusen is another game that reflects wider themes.

There is the bigger question of whether either of these managers can go to a higher level, to that Klopp-Pep Guardiola standard of achievement.

A significant reason why coaches have been so difficult to name is that we are now moving into a new era, defined by a new generation.

In 2016, the Premier League declared itself the league of star managers after the appointments of Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte complemented the work of Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino. Thomas Tuchel was rising in Germany, Carlo Ancelotti and Luis Enrique preeminent in Italy and Spain respectively.

Now Tuchel and Pochettino have taken up international management and it feels like they would only be considered by the big clubs as short-term appointments. The same clubs no longer consider Conte because of the baggage, a factor that has long contaminated Mourinho.

Klopp succeeded the Portuguese as Guardiola’s main rival at the height of it all, only to remove himself from management altogether. Meanwhile, everyone is waiting for Guardiola’s next move, which is expected to be at international level, while Ancelotti will eventually leave Real Madrid – potentially for Alonso.

This has left all the major clubs looking at what comes next, with none of the candidates having the CVs to give them guarantees. It feels much more of an unknown to the new generation, which is undoubtedly interesting in a different way.

It’s also what makes Alonso’s decisions all the more interesting, as well as an indicator of the state of play.

A big question will be why he won’t actually lead Liverpool on Tuesday. Alonso’s obvious charm will only provide an advantage, especially with how Slot’s low-key public persona is the only element that has been raised as a potential distraction. It’s not Klopp… or Alonso.

The truth is that Liverpool played down the possibility of naming their former midfielder quite early on. They were also looking around for other candidates, but it was also clear that Alonso was likely to stay at Leverkusen.

This is admirable in the modern game, where the inclination is constantly to jump ship because you might miss the chance. Instead, Alonso felt an obligation to give Leverkusen more, and certainly a chance at a Champions League.

Slot, for his part, has similarly turned down previous offers because he wanted to give the maximum to Feyenoord. Tottenham were rejected before the appointment of Ange Postecoglou in May 2023, with the Dutchman only moving when the time and job were right.

It is perhaps a lesson for this generation, which ironically has more options in a situation where clubs have fewer guarantees.

The appointment of Manchester United a Reuben Amorimwho meets Manchester City in Lisbon on Tuesday in one of his last Sporting matches, is all the more interesting in this context.

There is another relevant choice here, one that will shape how the Anfield game will be played. Slot is of the Guardiola school. Alonso is of the school that deviated from it.

Then this match isn’t just a sliding doors moment. It can open the door to a new era. A new generation is ready to take its place.