There was a lot of talk after Liverpool’s draw against Manchester City on Saturday. Every aspect of Liverpool’s squad has been scrutinized, from Alisson Becker’s rare day off to Joel Matip’s brilliance.
One of those whose reputation fell was Reds midfielder Alexis McAllister. And the Argentine is the subject of The Athletic today, where we look at why he stood out against City.
In the piece, McAllister admits he never intended to play the number six role at Liverpool. The 24-year-old has reportedly been signed by Brighton to take the number 8 shirt.
But after Jordan Henderson and Fabinho left the club following their arrival, Jurgen Klopp and his managers had to “take a second look”. They signed Wataru Endo after missing out on Moises Caicedo.
But while Endo insists he has always been seen as a “depth” option, Mac Allister’s versatility has established him as a key figure in defensive midfield. As a result of this performance, it is said that strengthening their position in the January transfer market will not be advantageous.
Mac Allister will play an undisclosed role.Ahead of the Manchester City match, there were many questions about McAllister’s selection as a defensive midfielder. It’s true that these questions will remain for the foreseeable future, but Argentina’s performance answered most of them.
It felt like a game where Mac Allister showed why Klopp is confident his number 10 can play a deeper role. He is not Fabinho. That’s for sure. But with Liverpool changing the way they play, you can see how attractive McAllister is to Klopp.
If he can maintain what we saw against City in the coming games, the fans will be much more confident.From our point of view, we are already sold out. We’d love to see Macca step up and make an impact with his vision and passing ability, but we really like the six-year-old.
He may not be able to go to every game, but Alexis has shown enough to be a full-time substitute. His tactical ability is exceptional and you get the feeling that Mc Allister could be the dictator of Liverpool’s play if he was in the starting line-up.
Not everyone is of the same opinion and there will be many who would like to see a more traditional player arrive in the next two transfer windows. But in our view – and in Klopp’s eyes – this unorthodox decision is starting to look like the way to go.
