December 18th 2024.
When Jurgen Klopp announced his departure from Liverpool at the end of last season, the club was forced to make their first managerial change in over eight years. As they searched for a new head coach, Ruben Amorim's name was on their shortlist of candidates. However, despite being considered for the role, the Portuguese manager was ultimately rejected for two key reasons.
According to reports, Liverpool's hierarchy was initially impressed by Amorim's credentials and had even sent a delegation to the Netherlands to observe him in action. However, they ultimately decided against appointing him due to concerns over his preferred 3-4-3 system and whether it would suit the squad that Klopp had left behind. Additionally, there were doubts about whether Amorim's playing style would appeal to the Anfield crowd.
While Amorim missed out on the opportunity to manage Liverpool, the club ended up agreeing a deal with Arne Slot, who was just finishing his third season at Feyenoord. The Athletic reports that a Liverpool delegation sent to the Netherlands was impressed by how well Slot's brand of football was received by Feyenoord's supporters. And so far, Slot has made an impressive start at Liverpool, with his side currently sitting two points clear of Chelsea at the top of the Premier League with a game in hand.
Not only is Liverpool excelling in the league, but they also sit at the top of their Champions League group, having won all six of their games so far. Their victories over top teams such as AC Milan, Bayer Leverkusen, and Real Madrid have solidified Slot's position as the right choice for the club.
On the other hand, Amorim has had a rocky start since being appointed as Erik ten Hag's successor at Manchester United last month. After a 1-1 draw with Ipswich in his first game in charge, United bounced back with wins against Bodo/Glimt and Everton. However, they suffered back-to-back defeats against Arsenal and Nottingham Forest before getting back on track with a victory against Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League. And just last week, Amad Diallo's late goal secured a 2-1 win over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, showing signs of a potential turnaround for United under Amorim's leadership.
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