Former Chelsea star Marcel Desailly has claimed that Liverpool's decision to sack Arne Slot was made at the last minute, pointing to the club's failure to pursue Xabi Alonso as a replacement. Alonso was appointed Chelsea boss less than two weeks before Slot was dismissed on May 30.
Alonso's Previous Links to Liverpool
Xabi Alonso was first linked with Liverpool in 2024 when the club was searching for a Jurgen Klopp replacement. However, the 2005 Champions League winner chose to stay with Bayer Leverkusen, whom he led to an unbeaten Bundesliga title. After being sacked as Real Madrid coach earlier this year, Alonso was again considered as a potential Reds boss, but Liverpool did not make a move.
Desailly's Analysis
Desailly told Betway: "[Sacking Slot after Alonso had already gone to Chelsea] gives us an indication that this has been done last minute. They won the league after Klopp with a similar dynamic and system. But this season they realised that on several occasions he made mistakes. There were tactical mistakes with the usage of players and with the team setup."
He added: "There was also the situation with Mohamed Salah, which worked against the manager. But when you look at it individually, you see that the coach is responsible for some of the matches that they lost. His tactical setup was not good."
Desailly Backs Alonso at Chelsea
The 1998 World Cup winner expressed confidence in Alonso at Chelsea: "Luckily for Chelsea I really believe that Alonso is the correct coach for them. He is a young manager and has only coached at the top level for a few years, so he has the time. Chelsea will probably give him the tools to get to the next level."
Desailly also noted the challenge for Liverpool's new coach Andoni Iraola: "Both Liverpool and Chelsea are in the same condition, even though Liverpool have more experienced players, they also have a new coach. So, there is a big task at Liverpool as well."
Liverpool will travel to the United States next month for a pre-season tour, facing Sunderland, Wrexham, and Leeds United.
