Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp successor: Why Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi would be the ideal Xabi Alonso alternative

Xabi Alonso was undoubtedly the most popular choice to succeed Klopp as Liverpool manager. Already a firm fan favourite dating back to his time at Anfield as a player, the Bayer Leverkusen boss also got Klopp's seal of approval shortly after announcing his decision to step down down this summer: "The next generation [of coaches] is already here and I would say Xabi is the standout in that department."

Klopp was also at pains to point out that he wasn't simply heaping praise on the Bayer Leverkusen boss just because Liverpool had reportedly identified Alonso as the ideal candidate to take over. "Even if you would have asked me eight weeks ago about Xabi,” he said, “I would have gone: 'Oh my God!'"

However, Alonso was never the only coach under consideration - which is just as well, given the Spaniard has now revealed that he will stay at the BayArena for another season. According to recent reports, Ruben Amorim is - and always has been - in the running on account of the wonderful job he is doing at Sporting CP - but so, too, is De Zerbi, who, just like Alonso, is greatly admired by not only by Klopp, but also Liverpool's incoming sporting director, Richard Hughes.

Klopp really couldn't hold De Zerbi in higher esteem, having previously described Brighton as the "best-coached" team in the Premier League. "I am a football lover and if somebody comes in and has the impact Roberto has on football," he said, "it should not be underestimated."

Klopp even confessed ahead of last October's trip to the Amex Stadium that the challenge for his team was to avoid being made to look "silly" again, with Liverpool having been routed 3-0 by Brighton during the 2022-23. It was a chastening defeat that hammered home the fact that the Reds' midfield was running on empty - which ultimately led to a complete overhaul of the engine room last summer. Almost inevitably, Klopp tried to sign two of Brighton's players as part of the rebuild - Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo - but only managed to land the former.

Missing out on the Ecuadorian actually proved a blessing in disguise, of course. As it transpires, not every Brighton player is capable of thriving away from the Amex, but that's arguably because not every departure moves to a club with a coach as adept at De Zerbi at getting the absolute best out of the resources at his disposal.

The former Napoli midfielder has previously stated it is his players that deserve all the credit for Brighton’s exciting and effective style of play, for the way in which they wholeheartedly embraced his demanding methodology. But we know that De Zerbi has been the key to Brighton's sustained success.

There were undeniably solid foundations in place when he took over from Graham Potter in September 2022, but he has constructed a team in his own image; one that perfectly embodies his footballing philosophy.

"Brighton is the team that resembles me most of all,” he told the Gazzetta dello Sport, “the one in which I recognise myself most in terms of character, the one with which I have had the most human relationship, the most harmony."

Veteran midfielder Adam Lallana has acknowledged that Brighton have a great group of players at the Amex, but he was nonetheless astounded by the speed with which De Zerbi got his message across.

"He quickly managed to get so many guys to play in such a specific way - I think that's what makes him so incredible," the Englishman told the Gazzetta. "He got a group of 25 players to follow him, to always stay focused, and to embrace his idea of football."

And that’s precisely why Brighton have managed to continue punching above their weight.

Brighton are obviously ridiculously well run, from top to bottom. Their recruitment department is incredible - which is why Chelsea have spent millions of pounds over the past two years trying to lure most of their players and staff to Stamford Bridge. However, Brighton’s business model means that their top talent is always available at the right price, which has been a source of frustration for De Zerbi.

What’s remarkable, though, is that this season he’s managed to cope with the sale of key men, while at the same time regularly rotating his players in order to cope with competing in Europe for the first time in the club’s history. Brighton’s first ever continental campaign may have come to a brutal end, beaten 4-1 on aggregate by Roma, but reaching the last 16 of the Europa League represented a fine achievement for a club of such limited resources with such an adventurous approach to the game.

As Klopp said, "They had a lot of changes last summer, lost top players - one of them we got - and still played incredible football. Different formations, different players, line-ups and yet they took really big steps forward and are still super-consistent. Wow! In the end, you always see Brighton's football and I couldn't respect that more."

There are, of course, doubts over De Zerbi's suitability to the top job at Anfield. His style of play certainly shouldn’t be an issue. His preferred 4-2-3-1 formation that sometimes looks like a 4-2-4, with the No.10 given licence to move forward and the wingers stationed high and wide, means De Zerbi doesn’t employ tactics that are radically different to that of Klopp’s Liverpool (even if it would be fascinating to see if he would ask Mohamed Salah to hug the touchline): both teams want to press high and hurt teams in transitions.

But Brighton are more daring than most when it comes to building from the back because De Zerbi wants to draw opponents out to create pockets of space further up the field. It essentially poses a problem for opponents: either press high and risk being passed through, given Brighton can play with great directness and verticality, or defend deep and hope that Brighton don’t break down the backline with the overloads they create through sudden and slick movements in and around the penalty area after periods of sustained possession.

When it all clicks, it’s a joy to behold - as even Graeme Souness has recognised. The Liverpool legend has gone from criticising the decision to replace Potter with De Zerbi (“he doesn’t know our game”) to admitting that it is Brighton’s brand of football that makes the Brescia native such an “attractive” option for the Reds.

De Zerbi has openly admitted that he was greatly influenced by Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona and Bayern Munich - he even attended training sessions during the Catalan’s spell at the Allianz Arena - but has always been at pains to point out that he also has own ideas. Indeed, the master is now studying the work of the apprentice.

“Roberto is one of the most influential managers in the last 20 years," Guardiola famously stated last season. "There is no team playing the way they play, it's unique, like a Michelin-star restaurant. I had the feeling when he arrived that the impact he would have in the Premier League would be great – but I didn’t expect him to do it in this short space of time.

“His team creates 20 or 25 chances per game, better by far than most opponents, he monopolises the ball in a way it hasn’t been for a long time. Brighton are one of the teams I try to learn a lot from.”

Unsurprisingly, De Zerbi has been touted as the ideal replacement for Guardiola whenever the City boss decides to move on. He certainly demonstrates the same forensic approach to football, with meticulously planned automatisms used to dismantle defences, and James Milner has been just as impressed by De Zerbi’s attention to detail since joining former Liverpool team-mate Lallana at the Amex.

“I chose Brighton to continue improving, to understand the game better... and that’s exactly what I’m doing here thanks to De Zerbi,” the versatile midfielder told the Gazzetta. “The way we play, the way we are asked to do things, changes from game to game, and this means that everyone always has to train at the absolute maximum: to understand what’s coming, and what we are asked to do in that specific match. The enormous attention to detail that De Zerbi demands also forces us to be fully focused at all times."

And yet despite the incessant intensity and constant rotation, De Zerbi has managed to keep everyone happy, with Lallana claiming “the dressing room is easily as strong as the Liverpool dressing room when we won everything, and Milly [Milner] would back that up”.

Former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan has argued on TalkSport that "managing Brighton and managing Liverpool are two different things" - and he's obviously right. The expectations on Merseyside would be far higher than they are on the south coast, where qualifying for Europe is a target rather than an obligation.

It’s also worth noting that when Liverpool's former sporting director Michael Edwards - who has just returned to Fenway Sports Group (FSG) to oversee all of their football operations - was looking for a successor to Brendan Rodgers back in October 2015, there were three basic requirements: a proven track record of improving players, beating teams with bigger budgets and European success.

Klopp ticked all the boxes; De Zerbi does not, even if ‘two out of three ain’t bad’. Before this season, his only taste of European football came with Shakhtar Donetsk, who failed to win a single match during the group stage of the 2021-22 Champions League.

Context is key, though. Shakhtar had done well to get that far by eliminating Monaco in the play-off round, and also had Inter and Real Madrid for company in their group. Besides, part of the appeal when it comes to De Zerbi is finding out what he might achieve with an even stronger squad and far greater financial support.

He has performed minor miracles with both Sassuolo and Brighton, where he has already done wonderful work with Mac Allister, Caicedo, Levi Colwill, Karou Mitoma, Simon Adingra, Pervis Estupinan, Joao Pedro, Pascal Gross and Evan Ferguson; surely the sky would be the limit if he was given free reign at a top club?

As Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele once said, "The way I see football now is totally different to how I used to see it two, three or four years ago. I see a totally different sport just through what he has taught us." Imagine what De Zerbi could accomplish with Klopp's kids!

Following Klopp obviously represents an arduous assignment - maybe the toughest we’ve seen in football since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down at Manchester United - but it's a challenge that De Zerbi would undoubtedly relish. He has never hidden his desire to put himself - and his ethos - to test at the absolute highest level. This is a man determined to make up for the fact that he "threw away his playing career" by going as far as he possibly can as a coach.

"In this field, you risk being misunderstood and perceived as arrogant, but for me ambition is not arrogance," he told the Gazzetta. "It's a dream to achieve, one that motivates you. It allows you to generate enthusiasm among people, the people that fill your stadium. It motivates your club. It's risky to set the bar high, because you can fail, but doing so allows you to grow more than is possible if you keep it low."

It’s, thus, hard to envisage De Zerbi turning down Liverpool if they do come calling this summer - and it is a distinct possibility, given Hughes tried to hire De Zerbi to succeed Scott Parker as Bournemouth boss in 2022, only for talks to break down due to issues with his Shakhtar contract.

Lallana certainly wouldn’t be surprised if his former club turns to his current coach, pointing out that De Zerbi is just as driven as Klopp. “He’s as demanding as Jurgen, I’d say," Lallana told the Daily Mail. “There are times you walk off the training pitch, there are times I’ve had to speak to lads and say ‘Don’t worry, it’s coming from a good place!’”

Even De Zerbi has pointed out that he’s probably just as intense as Klopp: “The passion we both show is because we feel football. We are very close in this [regard]." And Klopp would doubtless agree. He clearly saw the same intensity in De Zerbi’s eyes that day at the Amex last October.

There are obvious differences between the two yet so many similarities, particularly in terms of pressing, passion and personality. If Liverpool are looking for another character like Klopp, De Zerbi really is the most attractive alternative to Alonso.