Liverpool have bounced back in the past, but will need Andoni Iraola to bounce back after replacing Arne Slott, who fell into trouble after a somewhat lackluster season in 2025-26.
Slott will no doubt be remembered fondly at Anfield. I’m sure he will look back on his two-year tenure with pride. But his success in that exciting first year didn’t earn him unlimited credit in the bank. Last season, FSG’s unwavering support felt interminable at times, while Liverpool suffered blow after blow.
The gap between his two seasons in charge could not be more stark, but Iraola’s self-defined front-footed ‘rock’n’roll’ system is in line with the tactical identity that Reds persuasion have favored over the past decade.
Arne Slott’s Premier League results with Liverpool | ||
|---|---|---|
24/25 | # | 25/26 |
38 | match | 38 |
twenty five | victory | 17 |
9 | draw | 9 |
4 | loss | 12 |
86:41 | GF/GA | 63:53 |
84 | point | 60 |
2.21 | PPM | 1.58 |
Even under manager John McKenna in the early 20th century, Liverpool were characterized by direct football. Usually, the player who carries the ball forward on the side and crosses it finds the target man and inflates the net.
Slott’s cautious approach fell apart last year and looked out of place on the Anfield pitch. However, the Dutch coach will be frustrated by the efforts of many of his players, including Alexis Mac Allister.
Why it’s time to sell Alexis Mac Allister
Mac Allister is a key player for Liverpool. First Jurgen Klopp, then Slott. During these two spells, he won the Carabao Cup and the Premier League and was instrumental in rebuilding a vital midfield.
However, he has become a shadow of his former player. Last season, Mac Allister was less of a passenger and more of a wheel tightener on Liverpool’s machine, suffocating a struggling slot system. They needed a star central midfielder to at least produce the form that won them the title last season.
Everything went a little awry for Mac Allister last season, lacking energy, mobility, creativity and dueling convincing. He has played a key role in Argentina’s thrilling World Cup campaign, but it would be disingenuous to say he is playing his best football.
The general consensus is that Liverpool need to instigate a change in midfield, which may require the release of Mac Allister, which he is understood to be keen on, especially given numerous reports in recent months have linked the 27-year-old with a move to Spain.
It’s time to cash in. Mac Allister is still marketable and will fetch a hefty price. After all, FSG appear to be leaning towards signing a midfielder who could leave in the coming weeks or months.
Liverpool in talks over major upgrade for Mac Allister
Mac Allister has had his work cut out for him on Merseyside, but change is probably the best way to achieve continuity at Anfield, ensuring that Liverpool continue to improve and that last year’s struggles are just a blot on the copybook.
It goes without saying that if Mac Allister leaves, Liverpool will have to sign a suitable replacement. And the decision-makers seem to have found just the signature.
According to TEAMtalk’s transfer correspondent Graham Bailey, Liverpool are one of a number of Premier League clubs who have been in contact with the agent of Roma midfielder Manu Kone, who is currently at the World Cup with Les Bleus.
Bailey understands that Roma would be happy to let him go if he reaches his £50m valuation and that a number of Premier League clubs are also ready to pounce.
Cohn, 25, is an all-encompassing, steely man in the middle of the park. He is exactly what Liverpool need, someone who has the technical ability and style but also a combative side and an awareness that the players in front of him often steal the spotlight.
He is a key player for Roma, who qualified for the Champions League in May after years away from the big stage. The power and accuracy of his tackling has contributed to that, and it’s definitely the kind of skillset that Liverpool lacked under the wing in the slot, with Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenbirch sorely outliers.
League statistics (25/26) | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistics (* per 90) | Mac Allister | connection |
Match (start) | 37(31) | 29(28) |
Goal + Assist | 2+4 | 2+3 |
touch* | 50.3 | 61.4 |
Exact path* | 33.6 (87%) | 42.7 (90%) |
A big opportunity has arisen | 4 | 4 |
Key pass* | 1.0 | 0.9 |
Loss of ownership* | 7.8 | 8.5 |
Successful. dribble* | 0.3 (41%) | 1.0 (62%) |
Ball recovery rate* | 3.0 | 4.4 |
Tackle + Interception* | 2.0 | 2.3 |
clearance* | 0.9 | 1.0 |
Win a duel* | 3.1 (45%) | 5.3 (50%) |
By signing Kone, Liverpool secure a subtle but important upgrade in the center of the park. They would be getting a Mac Allister-esque midfielder who has the athleticism and physicality needed for Iraola’s system to fire on all cylinders, and who has shown far more improvement than his opponents over the past year.
Rio Ferdinand even claims that Kone is “France’s best midfielder at this World Cup”, a powerful, pressing rock who will have to work overtime to allow Didier Deschamps’ formidable front line to work its magic.
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Analyst Raj Chauhan backed up the words of the loud-mouthed Manchester United legend, praising the “amazing defensive performance” of midfielder Kone, who showed “the best press resistance” against Morocco.
That’s exactly what Liverpool have been missing this past year. Slott’s system was flawed in the 2025/26 season, but how could the manager prepare for such a stunning demotion of his chief deputy, a midfielder whose robustness was so important to the team’s title success in the first two years?
