Jurgen Klopp has hailed Liverpool’s signing of Alexis Mac Allister after the midfielder ‘fulfilled all expectations’ since his summer move from Brighton.
Jurgen Klopp believes “super smart” Alexis Mac Allister has already surpassed expectations as he highlighted the midfielder’s love of playing for Liverpool.
Mac Allister has emerged as a key player for the Reds in their pursuit of a treble this season after his £35million release clause at Brighton was triggered last summer.
The Argentina World Cup winner began the campaign as an emergency defensive midfielder but has shone in recent weeks having been pushed into a more accustomed advanced role in the engine room, contributing four goals and four assists in his last eight appearances.
Mac Allister is expected to start when Liverpool entertain his former club on Sunday as they aim to return to the Premier League summit ahead of Manchester City’s clash with leaders Arsenal.
And asked about the impact of the 25-year-old, Klopp said: “Alexis is exactly the player I hoped he would be. Super influential, super smart. Great guy. Loves playing for Liverpool as well, which is really important. He’s a rhythm giver, he’s a difference maker, he can control moments of the game.
“Always there, always involved, nothing is too much for him, he’s really a top, top, top player. But we had that sense when we signed him and he fulfilled all expectations and more.”
Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi is among those being considered by Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group to succeed Klopp when the German departs at the end of the season, with Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim the favourite after Xabi Alonso confirmed his decision to stay at Bayer Leverkusen for the next campaign.
Klopp has yet to beat De Zerbi in four attempts, with the Italian’s first game in charge of the Seagulls a 3-3 draw at Anfield in October 2022. Brighton then defeated Liverpool at home in both the Premier League and FA Cup last season before a 2-2 stalemate on the South Coast earlier this campaign.
And asked why De Zerbi is so highly rated, Klopp said: “The way he plays. What can I say? It’s difficult to play against them. They are super-dominant, and you cannot do that with no training.
“You cannot just put the line up on the wall and say ‘that’s how we play’. There’s a lot of work behind that, a lot of convincing the players because he changed a lot. The way the goalie has to play, the way the centre-halves have to start the build-up, the way the sixes have to move, the way the 10s move, the wingers, everybody. It’s a clear idea, it’s obvious.
“But knowing all that doesn’t make it particularly easy to find a way, because they don’t just have one way. The philosophy is the same, but the ways they can develop their game are obviously different so we have to make sure we are really spot on, create chaos from time to time – against a clear plan, chaos can be the answer sometimes. In other situations we have to patient, and on the ball we have to be really good.
“And I like a lot that the way we play usually now, recently, makes it difficult for other teams to find a way against that as well. From a coaching point of view, it’s an all-in game. We need all our information, all our knowledge, and (then) don’t give that to the players because otherwise they become a bit stiff when they have to move free as well.
“And yes, that makes him a top coach, because of the influence he had. I met him four times and he seems to be a nice guy. That’s all I know about the person, but I saw his football team playing pretty often and I can say that he is a top coach.”
