Xabi is great but RDZ could have the X-factor

FOLLOWING Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool will be one of the toughest jobs in world football, but who should be stepping into the rather big shoes he’ll leave behind? JOHN CROSS

Roberto De Zerbi

Cover your eyes Brighton fans. And apologies in advance. But if I’m Liverpool, I go all in for Roberto De Zerbi. He’s a brilliant tactician, pushes players to the limit and is a sensational manager.

Look at the respect he gets from other managers. Pep Guardiola loves him and will surely be in Manchester City ’s thoughts in any succession plan.

I know Xabi Alonso is the obvious one. Super smart, former Liverpool player and is doing a remarkable job at Bayer Leverkusen. But if you actually watch them play, the style is so removed from Jurgen Klopp ’s Liverpool. Maybe that’s absolutely fine. I heard a lifelong Reds fan on the radio the other day saying the last thing they needed was a new manager coming in and trying to be Klopp 2.0.

Alonso sets up for a possession game, trying to strangle the opposition. It’s a far cry from heavy metal football.

De Zerbi, meanwhile, plays with intensity and drive. It’s not Klopp. But

I think Anfield would love his passion, his team’s attacking threat and the way he sets up.

It’s a big job. That’s why you’ll need a big character, a strong personality – and De Zerbi fits the bill.

NEIL MOXLEY Andoni Iraola

I’m not saying the fella is a shoo-in to replace Klopp. But I think if Bournemouth continue their progress, he’s worthy of consideration. It’s a tough gig, the one at the Vitality, keeping up with the monied elite and the Cherries have surprised everyone.

They are lightning quick up front – possibly the fastest in the Premier League – and they should stay up with ease. I’d like to see how the fella gets on for the rest of this season.

Alonso is an obvious frontrunner. It’s difficult to look past him – he oozes class – but his frontline experience isn’t extensive. For me, De Zerbi is too combustible for a job like the one at Anfield. He blows up, big-time. And I’m not quite sure how much Brighton’s success is down to the structure Graham Potter left behind. It may be too soon for Iraola. But he had an impressive record at Rayo Vallecano and if he keeps it up with Bournemouth, his next step will be a big one.

MIKE WALTERS

Roberto De Zerbi

The man who takes over from a legend is always on a hiding to nothing.

The man who succeeded Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, David Moyes, was gone within 11 months, while the man who followed Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, Unai Emery, became distracted by playing pass-the-parcel with the captaincy and never really cut it. Liverpool have two obvious choices as Klopp’s successor – their former midfielder Alonso, who is ripping up the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen, or De Zerbi, whose Brighton team play the best football in the Premier League.

But the big question is not whether Alonso or De Zerbi are good enough to step into those mighty big shoes at Anfield. It’s whether they are prepared to be judged by a legend’s standards.

Personally, I would go for De Zerbi. But if he is bold enough to take over Klopp’s empire, he would be well-advised to come armed with a human shield as an assistant manager on his staff, someone who is untouchable in the eyes of the Kop. Step forward, Steven Gerrard.

ANDY DUNN Pep Lijnders

Jurgen Klopp says he will have no input into the selection of the manager who will succeed him at Anfield. Well, while he might not want any input, the owners would be daft not to consult him.

After all, who knows this squad better than anyone else? Who best knows these players and what sort of character they will need to get the best out of them? Klopp, of course. And you could probably be sure Klopp would have no hesitation in recommending promotion for his current No.2.

Pep Lijnders is also leaving in the summer – to pursue a career in management, having had one brief, unsuccessful spell at NEC in Holland.

It would be a gamble but no more of a gamble than bringing in a manager with just over a year’s experience in the Bundesliga.

Lijnders knows this crop of Liverpool players inside out and is clearly well-respected and liked by everyone at the club. He is also clearly a very confident coach, which helps.

And Liverpool’s history proves that the appointment of a former No.2 can be successful.