What Liverpool's No 1 candidate to replace Klopp is REALLY like - Mail Sport visits Lisbon to investigate just how Mourinho-like Ruben Amorim is... and how he's 'wedded' to a formation that's rarely seen at Anfield

Flumes of fluorescent green smoke and whiffs of Bifanas pollute the breezy air outside Estadio Jose Alvalade. The Super Bock is flowing and thousands of Sporting fans, conducted by the Brigada ultra group, are adding their voice to a war cry.

Given the league title has ended up in the green half of the Portuguese capital just once since 2002, a sense of trepidation is in the air and the cacophonic noise feels rather tribal. The leader of the tribe, then, is former Benfica midfielder Ruben Amorim.

His face adorns a t-shirt of one elderly fan, alongside the phrase 'e se corre bem?'. Asked by Mail Sport for a translation, the gentleman offers little more than: 'Ruben? I love'. In this corner of Lisbon at least, and in the ivory towers of several European clubs, that sentiment is shared.

Enough outing ourselves as a British journalist on a jolly, Google kindly informs the phrase is a nod to Amorim's first press conference as a fresh-faced 34-year-old taking the Sporting job after just 13 games of top-flight management, becoming their fourth boss of the term to much furore.

Asked a multitude of questions on what he would do if his tenure ended as catastrophically as his predecessors, with undertones of understandable skepticism from the local media, Amorim simply answered: 'And if it goes well?'.

And it has gone well. Better than anyone could have expected. After earning a well-deserved 2-1 win over bitter rivals Benfica on Saturday night, Amorim looks set to win a second league title in four years - with an upcoming Cup final to boot. They are four points clear with a game in hand.

The significance should not be understated. Before Amorim's arrival, Sporting had won the league just twice in four decades. Only five teams have ever won the Portuguese title - compared to 24 in England. Benfica and Porto account for 76 per cent of that.

In Portugal there is an old adage, 'Portugal is Lisbon, the rest is landscape'. Amorim has changed the landscape, and it was eye-opening to watch him up close and personal in the Derby de Lisboa on Saturday evening.

Those Liverpool fans hoping for a Jurgen Klopp clone will be disappointed. If anything, they will get a manager more akin to Pep Guardiola - in his mannerisms at least. He patrolled his technical area like a man possessed, metaphorically kicking every ball from the sidelines.

He paced back and forth like a lion waiting for feeding time and crouched down when he could no longer take the angst of the blood-and-thunder battle. Every now and then, he would leap up and bark orders at his stars, with some being called over to the side for a grilling.

Despite his energetic style, he rarely lost his composure even when Benfica's Angel di Maria might have been sent off for a raised fist. The only time Amorim did break from calm was when his midfielder Morten Hjulmand played two backwards passes in the space of seconds.

Arms went flailing and the young coach had seen enough, with the Danish player getting substituted minutes later. Amorim can take mistakes in either penalty area, but he does not stand for negativity. Though a draw was satisfactory for the title race, he bravely went in search of a win.

Cameras panned to Amorim's idol Jose Mourinho, up with the prawn sandwich brigade - or is it Iberian ham platter brigade in Portugal? - who had a wry smirk. Amorim was dubbed 'Special One 2.0' in these pages a fortnight ago. He has since laughed off that headline, mind.

'I'm just the Sporting coach,' he said. But there is no doubting the resemblance in his press conferences. Amorim has a confident aura, the eyes of the auditorium hooked on his every word and he manages to get some chuckles from hardened hacks. Easier said than done.

In media briefings around the Benfica game, he was bombarded with queries about Liverpool. 'I cannot guarantee I will remain at Sporting' and 'I will not speak any more about my future' were his two headline phrases when asked if he could 'do a Xabi Alonso' and rule himself out.

Mail Sport reported last week how those close to Amorim are actively exploring a potential move to England. Every Lisbon-based reporter seems convinced he is heading to Merseyside, with local media ramping up their speculation within less than an hour of beating Benfica.

Nothing is at an advanced stage yet but there is calmness among both parties. Liverpool were keen to respect Sporting's title charge but April is a key month in the process for recruiting Klopp's successor. As we saw with the German's exit, Liverpool are good at keeping a secret.

Amorim will have demands over his backroom staff. He sees his trusted circle as an extension of his principles rather than any hierarchy, with Adelio Candido, Emanuel Ferro and 29-year-old Carlos Fernandes all flying up out of their seats on the bench at times on Saturday.

On the pitch, Sporting set up in their 3-4-3 formation - which Amorim is said to be 'wedded to' - and the media box at the back of the stadium offered a perfect vantage point to observe a relentless pressing game with fast, vertical football.

The build-up play was electric, with former Coventry striker Viktor Gyokeres playing a pivotal role on and off the ball. Amorim's fists rolled into thin air when his team worked the ball from side to side rather than try to exploit spaces with through-the-lines passes.

His ball-playing defenders, led by veteran and captain Sebastian Coates, once of Liverpool, are also key. Liverpool have had scouts at plenty of Sporting matches, according to Portuguese sources, with left-footed Gonçalo Inacio and Ousmane Diomande highly rated by many clubs.

'Ruben is our GOAT (greatest of all time) as a coach,' says one fan, Martim. 'That's it, attacking football, but his personality and the way he speaks and organises his speech is the best thing about him. I'm going to miss him very much.' Another, Jorge, says: 'He made our people happy.'

Judging by the reaction of fans after the win over Benfica, happiness is reaching a highpoint, with celebrations continuing long into the night in Bairro Alto and Alfama districts of this beautiful city. His lack of experience means he has doubters. But as he would say… and if it goes well?

How Amorim's Liverpool side could look in the 3-4-3: Alisson; Konate, Van Dijk, Gomez; Alexander-Arnold, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Robertson; Salah, Nunez, Jota