Arne Slot v Xabi Alonso: Can the legend save Liverpool’s season?

It hardly seems believable after last season’s title heroics, but Arne Slot’s Liverpool future is facing a threat from a former club great who has gone from phantom menace to potential messiah for a number of Reds fans.

Xabi Alonso is a Liverpool legend: tactically intelligent and intimately familiar with the club’s DNA. He still has credit in the bank from Bayer Leverkusen’s incredible unbeaten march to the Bundesliga title, though his ill-fated recent spell at Real Madrid has affected his reputation.

Fans adore him, players respect him, and the media would leap at the narrative of a hero returning to save a floundering season with the title race all but over.

In theory, it’s a compelling move to inject fresh ideas into a side that looks increasingly laboured, despite their recent unbeaten run. But let’s not get carried away. Alonso is not untested; his recent spell in Madrid ended in dismissal after just seven months, with tactical inconsistencies and mixed results cited as the main issues.

That experience is vital context.

It shows that brilliance as a player doesn’t automatically translate to managerial success, and it raises the uncomfortable question: would the problems he faced in Spain simply repeat themselves at Anfield?

Then again, none of the Liverpool players have an ego the size of a small municipality, unlike Vinicius Junior. The weight of expectation at Real is also unparalleled, and the young coach would likely find the red half of Merseyside a far more forgiving environment.

Slot also has credit from his title-winning first season, but the Dutchman has cut an increasingly frustrated figure as recent matches have taken on a familiar pattern. The champions are struggling to break down stubborn defences before being pegged back late on.

Slot seems powerless to prevent this shift in momentum; even his substitutions have become predictable, though the growing influence of Florian Wirtz — who has three goals in his last nine games — remains a bright spot.

The failure to fill the hole in central defence — after Marc Guehi slipped through their hands twice, most recently to Manchester City — points to deeper systemic issues or perhaps Slot’s blind faith in his current squad. Fans are divided, but the growing chorus of boos following the weekend’s 1–1 draw with basement-dwellers Burnley threatens to reach a crescendo.

On one side, the ‘stick with Slot’ brigade pleads for patience. On the other, many feel Alonso holds the answers and could extract even more from Wirtz, given their history at Leverkusen.

Slot offers stability; Alonso offers nostalgia, tactical promise, and a significant question mark. Perhaps patience will pay off, or perhaps the unbeaten run — padded with draws against the likes of Fulham and Leeds — is simply a beautiful disguise hiding cracks that demand urgent attention.

A club legend might inspire a turnaround — much like Manchester United hope Michael Carrick will do following his recent appointment — but can he solve the systemic problems?

Slot has the backing of the board for now, but should these underwhelming performances continue — and fourth place come under threat — Alonso could once again be pulling the strings at Anfield.

Perhaps the future of Slot and Alonso will become clearer after Wednesday's Uefa Champions League clash against Marseille.