Liverpool played Alexis McAllister and Wataru Endo against Burnley, but such cases are rare. Two of our writers offer their views on how Jurgen Klopp should use the pair.
Liverpool had few chances against Burnley. With at least a dozen players battling injury or illness and Ibrahima Konate serving a one-match ban for two yellow cards against Arsenal, Jurgen Klopp has few options. Trent Alexander-Arnold picked up another injury which forced him off at half-time, meaning Curtis Jones played at right-back.
Fortunately for Liverpool, Harvey Elliott was brought on as a substitute and showed his skills once again, turning the game around with goals from Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunes in the 45th minute of the second half. One of the decisions Klopp made (two actually, Wataru Endo could have moved to full-back and Alexis McAllister could have moved to number six when Elliott arrived) was to put the duo together middle.
This didn’t happen too often before, at least it didn’t work with Mac Allister. Endo, signed for a total fee of $64m (£51m/€60m), performed well but Mac Allister was under pressure. Even if the result doesn’t matter, Liverpool will have plenty to think about. “Alexis McAllister is number one.” -Matt AddisonI’m sure Liverpool could have either Endo or Mac Allister in the squad to get the best out of both.
The fact that Klopp has only used these two together three times probably means he agrees (although some may be subject to availability and cannot be used simultaneously). Against Burnley we saw Endo at his best, especially in the second half, but Mc Allister was beaten on the halfway line.
The Argentine will need to sit deeper to give himself more time and space to work his magic. A few meters back, he has the same dictation ability as Thiago, but on this occasion he completely disappeared. In the end, if you have to choose between the two, there can only be one winner.
McAllister is the better of the two, although he is stronger than Endo, who has impressed since joining Liverpool. He gives more possession and is now used to asking for the ball.
Both will need time, but Mac Allister is the clear front-runner as Klopp has more options in eight roles. “Wataru Endo and Alexis McAllister can work” – James MartinI have to admit. Endo failed to convince me in his first few games at Liverpool.
But luckily, Klopp was patient and the Japan captain became an important player. But while I’m happy to have a piece of the humble pie, Endo needs time to get up to speed, especially in possession. We saw a microcosm of him against Burnley on his return to the Asian Cup.
The sluggish first half was one of his best 45 minutes in a red shirt. This progression explains why Mac Allister got the majority of the opening minutes despite being perceived as “out of place”. As Endō knows full well, playing time is almost entirely dependent on availability.
Klopp therefore had one of the first viable options to play Endo and McAllister together, but injuries elsewhere caused problems. Although he did not get the best result in Argentina, the coach will have to be patient again. McAllister will have to relearn the eight roles, particularly the demands of those positions in Liverpool’s system. You can’t expect a big effect right away.
However, he has shown he can benefit from the solid platform Endo provides behind him, a role Thiago was clearly signed for at his former club. Klopp could still choose between the two in certain matches, but it would be premature to completely rule them out as a duo.
Endo is not the long-term future of Liverpool 2.0, but the next manager may want a specialist number six in a similar role and it would be a shame if McAllister was relegated to the bench.
