Elite Italian coach ‘perfect’ for Liverpool as FIVE pundits heighten Arne Slot sack calls | OneFootball

Liverpool have been told to consider a shock move to make Enzo Maresca their new head coach, while five pundits have piled more pressure on current boss Arne Slot.

Even more Liverpool fans called for Slot to be sacked following the dire 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday. The Dutchman trialled a back five during Wednesday’s Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain, but it left Liverpool players confused as they were beaten 2-0 in the French capital.

Numerous trusted sources have insisted Slot retains the backing of the club’s hierarchy. However, it will be very hard for FSG to ignore the supporters demanding Slot’s exit if Liverpool fail to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Xabi Alonso is the favourite to become Liverpool’s new head coach. But former Italy star Marco Materazzi thinks a move to Anfield could – surprisingly – be the ‘best fit’ for ex-Chelsea boss Maresca.

When asked where Maresca might go next, Materazzi replied (via Metro): “Can Enzo Maresca make Real Madrid into champions again? Yes, why not!

“He speaks very good Spanish because he was at Sevilla, but I think Maresca also has a good opportunity to get a job in the Premier League for next season too.

“Newcastle United? Not for me. Manchester United would be a good move for Maresca, but he’s too connected to Manchester City to make that happen.

“I think Liverpool would be the best fit for Enzo Maresca. He is the perfect coach to lead a rebuild at Liverpool to create a new vision for the team.”

We confirmed on April 2 that Maresca is a frontrunner to succeed Pep Guardiola, having previously been his assistant at Man City.

Our sources state that Liverpool have brought their end-of-season review forward as they weigh up Slot’s future, while Alonso is ready to return to management amid mutual interest with the Reds.

Several pundits have questioned Slot in the aftermath of the defeat to PSG, increasing talk he could be axed this summer.

Jamie O’Hara told talkSPORT that Slot using a back five should be a ‘sackable offence’. His colleague, Jason Cundy, said it was ‘shameful’ that Liverpool were ‘waiting to get beaten’.

Liverpool hero Jamie Carragher said: “The manager has tried something but he’s got it massively wrong tactically, how he went about it.

“They were actually more open with the back five than they would be with the back four because they went man-to-man all over the pitch, and the three centre-backs had to cover the width of the pitch.

Van Dijk ‘couldn’t do it’ – Jamie Carragher

“Watching Virgil van Dijk tonight in the middle of the back three… Normally, when you get to a certain age, you think, middle of a back three, that’s perfect for me, everyone’s in position, you get a bit of protection in your back five.

“This was different. Defenders were jumping into midfield. There was no one to mark. And Van Dijk, at 34 years of age, was having to run in there and run across. He couldn’t do it.”

Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld said: “You can feel that Virgil van Dijk feels very uncomfortable with that [the formation].”

Fellow Belgian pundit Marc Degryse added: “Only one team wanted to play football.