The signing of Alexis Mac Allister could be a pivotal moment for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool as they look at a midfield rebuild. The international from Argentina is well-bred. The 24-year-old midfielder, who has already won the World Cup, has established himself in the Premier League with Brighton and possesses a wide range of qualities that make him the perfect match for Liverpool’s needs. Jude Bellingham has long been regarded as the answer because of this. A Klopp midfield at its finest consists of players who can tackle, pass, and shoot in addition to attacking and defending. All of that is possible with Mac Allister. He was highly conscious of his own positional flexibility when I spoke with him in January.
“I frequently remark that I enjoy making contact with the ball. I feel better the closer I get to the ball. I enjoy playing in the midfield. Whether it is a 6, 8, or 10 is irrelevant. As a child, I was ten. But after realizing I could play additional positions,” Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister said. “Modern players should be able to play many roles, in my opinion, to provide their team and manager more alternatives. Although I know I can play as a 6 or a 10, if you asked me, I would reply that now I feel more at ease as an 8.”
The fact that Mac Allister is among the top 10 players in the Premier League for both through-balls and possession won in the middle third of the field best exemplifies his mix of abilities. They are lists that contain a wide variety of items. The players with the most through balls are Bruno Fernandes and Kevin De Bruyne, who have not recovered the ball as frequently as Mac Allister. Top on the chart for possession gained are Rodri and Declan Rice, who also made six through balls between them. McAllister produced 15. When it comes to possession gained in the final third, he is also in the top 10. Klopp originally said that counter-pressing is more successful than any playmaker, but he then modified his argument by bringing in Thiago, a through-ball specialist.
Following their 7-0 victory against Manchester United in March, it was discovered that while Klopp was complimenting his team, he was more interested in Harvey Elliott’s pushing than the goals. He said that the teenager’s inclusion in the side was due to this. That Klopp believes that such a measure is possibly the most important of them all is interesting. Liverpool’s internal statistics will have customized guidelines for what counts as a counter-press. This past season, Mac Allister recorded 328 counter-presses for Brighton, more than any midfielder for Liverpool. His record of 70 Premier League tackles, more than any other player wearing a Liverpool jersey, demonstrates the aggressive aspect of his style of play.
“When playing defence, the focus is mainly on making the choice to go after the ball, press, tackle, and win it,” the midfielder added. “The choice is more important than the place. It has to do with the urge to get the ball back. I’ve made significant progress with it.”
This element might be just as important as Mac Allister’s undeniable technical skill. This Liverpool squad is surrendering more passes per defensive play and recovering the ball farther from the opposition’s goal than Klopp’s championship-winning squad did. One is brought back to Lijnders’ press conference from October 2019 where he said that Liverpool’s intensity was their identity. After a significant victory over Tottenham, he continued by outlining the importance of such off-the-ball work.
Liverpool’s structure has been undermined without that defence. Even Virgil van Dijk was held accountable, but it was his vulnerability due to the lack of ball pressure that made him so. This past season, Liverpool gave up 103 significant opportunities. Only Fulham and Leeds gave up more goals. Due to the shifting makeup of the team and the success that Manchester City and Arsenal were experiencing, Klopp sought a late-season solution by putting Trent Alexander-Arnold in a hybrid role in midfield. Although it wasn’t the ideal solution, it was undoubtedly a success in the sense that it enabled Liverpool to end the Premier League season with an 11-game winning streak. It increased defence against the counterattack and sparked Alexander-Arnold’s imagination.
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