IS JOSE MOURINHO PERFECT FOR LIVERPOOL? WHY PORTUGUESE ‘WON’T BE FAZED BY FOLLOWING JURGEN KLOPP’ AS DIETMAR HAMANN TALKS UP SURPRISE MOVE FOR ‘WINNER’ IN NEW ERA AT ANFIELD

WHAT HAPPENED?

German tactician Klopp stunned the football world in January when announcing that he will be walking away from a prominent post at Anfield when the 2023-24 campaign comes to an end. Close to nine years will have been spent on Merseyside by then, with Premier League and Champions League titles collected along the way.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

There has been plenty of talk about who will be charged with the task of filling the biggest of managerial shoes at Liverpool, with the likes of Xabi Alonso and Ruben Amorim discussed at various intervals. There is now speculation to suggest that former Chelsea and Manchester United boss Mourinho – given his vast experience of the Premier League – could become a shock appointment.

WHAT HAMANN SAID ABOUT MOURINHO

Speaking in association with Freebets.com, Hamann told GOAL when asked if Mourinho makes sense for the Reds on a short-term basis as he would not be overawed by the challenge: “That’s a valid point. I love Mourinho. He won’t be fazed by following Klopp. There might be managers who turn the job down that say ‘this is my dream job but to follow Klopp is just impossible’. We have seen what happened at Manchester United with Fergie, when he left. The more I think about it, the more I can see it happening for one or two seasons. Clubs make these five and eight-year plans and the manager is gone after six months, so it’s a day-to-day business and you don’t know what’s going to happen in three years. If you bring him in and say ‘blood the youngsters in, if you finish sixth next season that’s all good because in one or two years we have got a really good team with a lot of home-grown players’, then it’s fine. But it doesn’t make sense to bring someone in for the next five years, sign players for 100-odd million and then finish fifth or sixth – that’s unacceptable.

“You need someone who is big enough not to be fazed by the fact of following Klopp – someone who is successful and loved by the people, not only in the football club but also in the city. From that point of view, the more I think it might not be the worst choice. But you have to tell him that the youngsters have to play some part. I’m sure if they are good enough, then he will look at them and give them playing time.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Questions have been asked of Mourinho’s methods down the years, but his track record when it comes to trophy collecting speaks for itself. Hamann added on the Portuguese bringing another winning mentality to Anfield: “I love watching teams who are not as well equipped as the other team, and beat them. You have got to be functional, streetwise, you’ve got to have great management. That’s what his teams do. Is it the best to watch? Fans will say no. I don’t care. I love watching kick and rush if it’s successful. Any success, I love watching it. Being a defensive-minded player, all the tiki-taka playing around the box, I think it’s too much. Pass it when you can, kick it when you have to, that’s what his teams do. Whether the fans are happy with the football he is playing or wants to play, I don’t know. But for me in football there is only successful or unsuccessful and he’s known as a winner. I think he’s probably chomping at the chance if he got it.”

WHAT NEXT?

Mourinho has been out of work since being sacked by Serie A side Roma in January. He has been waiting patiently on enticing offers since then, with links to teams in the Saudi Pro League played down, and has left the door open for a stunning Premier League return to be made if his demands can be met by the right project.