The Premier League head coach has been linked with a possible move to replace Jurgen Klopp.
Jurgen Klopp revealed last week that he will depart Anfield at the end of the 2023/24 season after just shy of nine years in charge of Liverpool.
Liverpool’s search for Klopp’s replacement
According to The Times, the Reds will make a decision on his successor through data, rather than emotion, and they name Brighton & Hove Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi as a candidate.
The report claims that the Italian chief, who predominantly uses a 4-2-3-1 formation, will be considered by FSG as they plot their next move ahead of the 2024/25 campaign to carry on Klopp’s great work.
The Daily Mail added that Xabi Alonso and the Seagulls tactician are two of the names at the top of the club’s shortlist of options at this moment in time.
FSG, however, must be wary that they do not find Brendan Rodgers 2.0 in a move for De Zerbi, as he is a manager who has not proven himself at the very top level.
Brendan Rodgers’ trophyless Liverpool spell
The Northern Irishman was appointed as Liverpool’s manager in the summer of 2012 with no major trophies won in his career to that point, having managed Swansea, Reading, and Watford previously.
Rodgers kept the Swans up in the Premier League in the 2011/12 campaign and the Reds reacted to his performances with the midtable side by bringing him to Anfield.
However, his inexperience at the very top level ended up being his downfall as the 51-year-old tactician left Merseyside in 2015 after just over three years and zero trophies won at the club.
He has since gone on to win silverware with Celtic and Leicester, including the FA Cup with the Foxes in 2021, but failed to do so with the Reds.
De Zerbi’s top level inexperience
The 44-year-old, who was described as “fiery” by journalist Josh Hayward, has caught the eye with his impressive work at Brighton since he arrived at the AMEX in 2022 to replace Graham Potter, who joined Chelsea.
He led the Seagulls to sixth in the Premier League last season, which secured Europa League football for the club, and currently has his team in seventh after 21 matches.
As you can see in the table above, De Zerbi has not enjoyed a trophy-laden managerial career to date, with a Serie C cup and a Ukrainian Super Cup the only pieces of silverware that he has obtained.
This means that they would be making an appointment similar to the one they made with Rodgers by snapping up an inexperienced manager from a mid-to-upper-table Premier League side.
Whereas, Klopp had won five trophies with Borussia Dortmund, including two Bundesliga titles battling against Bayern Munich, prior to his move to Liverpool.
The German wizard has gone on to win seven trophies with the Reds, including the Champions League and the Premier League, and will, hopefully, add more before the end of the current campaign.
Liverpool went out to get a proven winner to replace Rodgers, and it has paid off for them over the past nine years or so, which is why they should look to avoid the potential mistake of appointing another inexperienced head coach in De Zerbi as there is the risk that it could be Rodgers 2.0.
