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Glen Johnson has admitted he’s ‘concerned’ for whichever manager succeeds Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool boss in the summer but has suggested one current Premier League tactician in particular could be a decent replacement for the German.
Klopp announced back in January that the current campaign will be his last one on Merseyside after conceding that he’s ran out of the energy required to occupy the hot seat at Anfield.
Having won every major trophy possible during his time at L4 it means that whoever comes in to replace the 56-year-old will have a serious job on their hands.
Current Bayer Leverkusen boss and former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso is expected to stay in his current role beyond the summer despite being strongly linked with a return to Anfield while Sporting Lisbon head coach Ruben Amorim is considered the next favourite to succeed Klopp.
“I don’t know a great deal about him but result wise, he’s clearly doing a brilliant job at Sporting Lisbon,” Johnson told Betfred (via Liverpool World). “However, I’m concerned for anyone that has to fill Jürgen Klopp’s shoes. I’m sure that Liverpool will have successful managers again in the future, but to immediately follow Jürgen is a tough job. Anyone who goes there now has a very uphill job to do. It doesn’t matter who you are, it’s going to be a tough job.
“Even though I’ve said that Jürgen Klopp will be a tough act to follow, any manager that comes in will be inheriting a great squad and it will be an improvement in terms of player quality than any candidate would have had at their disposal previously.
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“I know people will think that I’m absolutely mad, but Mauricio Pochettino is a big name that can go into that job and grab everyone’s attention. That would excite people despite what’s happened at Chelsea this season because I don’t believe what’s gone on there is Mauricio’s fault. You don’t become a bad manager overnight and if he inherited that Liverpool squad, then I believe he could do good things at Anfield.”
It will be difficult to replace a man who ended Liverpool’s 30-year long wait for a league title and also delivered our sixth European Cup amongst many other trophies but it’s a job that should excite the top managers in Europe rather than scare them.
Reds supporters will understand that any new manager will require time to adjust to life at the club and get to know his new players while implementing their own style of play.
Amorim currently has Sporting Lisbon four points clear at the top of the table – four points clear of city rivals Benfica and with a game in hand – but has reaffirmed his commitment to the side from the Portuguese capital recently.
We have a minimum of seven games to play under Klopp before he calls it a day so let’s hope for some miracles to add a further two trophies to his collection!
