First, Alexis Mac Allister started for the Reds in their toughest fixture of the campaign, facing Manchester City away from home. The World Cup winner was deployed as a lone holding midfielder, with Jürgen Klopp using him as his deepest presence in the middle this season after allowing Fabinho to leave the club in the summer.
Mac Allister isn’t a natural defensive player given his past as a number 10, but he’s performed reasonably well on Merseyside so far. Many feared that he would be exploited by Pep Guardiola’s offensive talent, but the Argentina international stepped up and painted himself as one of his team’s better performers on the day. He produced quite an impressive showing, with Manchester City only scoring once after Alisson Becker made a crucial error on the ball. A few hours later on the same Saturday afternoon, Crystal Palace travelled to Kenilworth Road to face Luton Town. After 54 minutes of action, a certain Cheick Doucouré had to be substituted due to a serious injury concern. The Mali international left the field on a stretcher, with manager Roy Hodgson worried about his immediate future.
The ex-Reds boss labelled the knock as ‘very serious’ after the bout. Doucouré now looks set to miss a large chunk of the campaign, which will act as a big blow for the Eagles considering he was named as his team’s Player of the Season last term. The 23-year-old starlet is a big talent, which explains why Liverpool has been tracking him.
During the summer window, as the Reds explored the market for a capable replacement for Fabinho, Klopp was linked with a transfer move for Doucouré (per the Independent). No bid materialized from Anfield, but the rumor was an intriguing one as the African midfielder seemed to possess the necessary qualities to fill the void. Doucouré could have been a target for Liverpool in 2024, but now that seems unlikely to happen. It remains to be seen when he will return to action.
Two things happened in the Premier League over the course of the weekend. Both of them are likely to have a real impact on the future of Liverpool’s midfield department.
