‘What if Xabi Alonso fails in his first six months?’ - Liverpool warned off Arne Slot sack call that could bring a familiar face back to Anfield

As pressure mounts on Slot following a string of poor results, the shadow of Alonso continues to loom large over Anfield. The former Reds midfielder is currently out of work after leaving Real Madrid, leading many fans to call for his emotional return. However, Liverpool icon Barnes has questioned whether the Spaniard is actually the right man for the job, pointing to his recent departure from the Bernabeu.

"Well, I understand the clamour because Xabi is a Liverpool favourite," Barnes told the Liverpool Echo. "But did he not fail at Real Madrid? Was he actually a successful manager? Of course, don't get me wrong, I think Xabi is great and he did a good job. But he got sacked by Real Madrid for failure, didn't he? That's why they got rid of him. Of course we do like the clamour for ex-players. Steven Gerrard’s been mentioned before. So I understand the way fans are. But this is the way fans are. They're very fickle."

Barnes believes that replacing Slot with Alonso would only create a cycle of instability at the club. He argued that the success Slot achieved in his debut season, where he secured the Premier League title, should buy him significantly more credit than he is currently receiving from the disgruntled fanbase.

"We won the league with Arne Slot and all of a sudden we want to sack him?" Barnes added. "If he then goes and Alonso comes, suppose Alonso fails in his first six months or first year, are we going to say sack him and bring somebody else in? I always support the managers, whoever they are, because they come to the club because of their success, because they're good managers, and they have to be given time. Jurgen Klopp was 20 points off the top when he first came, but we stuck with him. So I think Xabi will be a great manager one day, but I want Arne Slot to stay."

The calls for change reached a fever pitch following a devastating 4-0 FA Cup exit at the hands of Manchester City. It was a performance that lacked the trademark intensity associated with the club. The defeat has left Slot fighting to save his job as the season reaches a critical juncture.

Statistically, Liverpool are enduring one of their worst campaigns in modern memory, with 15 defeats across all competitions. For Barnes, however, the blame lies more with the massive squad turnover than the manager's tactics. He noted: "We signed lots of players. They're all good players individually. We're trying to find the right blend. We're trying to find the right way of playing. When you sign five or six players to come into the first team, it'll take time. We're trying to find a new way of playing, but you can see that when we play well, we really play well. We just need to get some consistency."

With a massive Champions League quarter-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain on the horizon, the Dutchman knows he has little room for error. The trip to the Parc des Princes represents perhaps the final opportunity to salvage a campaign that has gone off the rails. For now, the backing of legends like Barnes remains Slot's strongest shield against the growing calls for Alonso's appointment.