Forget Klopp Nostalgia — Liverpool Should Go All-In on Oliver Glasner

Liverpool don’t need a trip down memory lane — they need a plan. And if Arne Slot can’t halt this nosedive soon, the answer isn’t a romantic Jurgen Klopp return. It’s Oliver Glasner, the Crystal Palace boss who has already put a tactical schooling on Slot twice this season.

Slot’s slide: seven defeats in ten and a reality check at City

The numbers are grim. Seven losses in the last 10 competitive matches and a 3-0 cuffing at Manchester City that exposed all the recurring faults: passive pressing, disjointed distances, and a soft centre when the game turns. For a manager who lifted the Premier League in May and spent north of £400 million over the summer, the spotlight is white-hot and merciless.

Modern football won’t wait — not even for a title-winner

Slot is 47, bright and brave, but this era doesn’t grant time like it did for Sir Alex Ferguson back in the day, or even Klopp in his early Anfield wobbles. Fenway Sports Group are typically patient — Brendan Rodgers survived a miserable 2014-15 before they corrected course with Klopp — yet the sheer scale of this summer’s rebuild has shifted expectations. You spend big, you deliver.

Klopp talk? Lovely nostalgia, unlikely solution

Klopp’s recent admission that a return is “technically” possible will stir hearts on the Kop, but it’s fantasy football. Liverpool need a clear, modern blueprint to maximise a revamped squad, not a reunion tour.

Why Glasner fits Liverpool like a glove

Glasner has already shown he can set traps and spring them on Liverpool: a 2-1 win against the Reds kick-started this wobble, then a clinical 3-0 at Anfield in the EFL Cup. That’s with Palace — a fine side, but nowhere near this Liverpool group on paper. His model is repeatable, robust and ruthless: proactive back three, aggressive wing-backs, tight midfield mechanisms and direct, decisive final-third patterns.

The XI that screams Glasner

Here’s the kicker: Liverpool’s squad is almost built for him. Imagine a back three of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté flanking Marc Guehi — the captain Palace blocked from moving on deadline day. Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong would fly on the outside lanes like Tyrick Mitchell and Daniel Muñoz do for Palace, while Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch handle the industry and aggression inside. Florian Wirtz could work in those clever half-spaces, stepping infield rather than hugging touchlines. Up top, Alexander Isak (or Hugo Ekitike) dovetailing with Mohamed Salah gives you the Mateta–Sarr punch but with elite finishing.

Guehi: the sliding-doors decision

Liverpool were hours away from nicking Guehi, only for Glasner to step in and keep his skipper. That move told you plenty about Glasner’s command and his clear, connective idea of team structure. With Guehi alongside Van Dijk and Konaté, the captain gets insulation either side, the press holds higher, and transitions don’t look like a fire drill.

Consistency over churn

Slot has been chopping and changing to find solutions; Glasner brings system-led consistency and rhythm. Same principles, same patterns, sharper roles. That’s how you iron out the giveaways and stop living on chaos.

FSG’s call: ambition over sentiment

Let’s be clear: stepping up from a mid-table club to Liverpool is no small leap — just ask Graham Potter about the perils of scale and scrutiny. But Palace believe they’ve got a “world-class” coach on their hands and are working to tie him down long-term. Bigger clubs will test that resolve soon enough. Why not Liverpool, and why not now?

If you’re eyeing the next-manager chatter and how the market moves, the bookmakers will be twitchy. For a broader view of where the odds settle, the best betting sites will tell you plenty — but the football case is already compelling: Glasner is the clean fit for this squad, and Liverpool shouldn’t be afraid to act if the slide continues.

Bottom line

Forget the Klopp nostalgia. If Slot can’t arrest this run, Liverpool need a modernist with a proven blueprint who’s already outfoxed them twice. That man is Oliver Glasner.