Jurgen Klopp has praised the performance of Alexis Mac Allister in a brand new position for Liverpool tonight.
Mac Allister started in the No.6 position for the Reds against Darmstadt and was right in the thick of the action throughout the game.
Questioned on his view of the Argentine’s display at Deepdale by LFCTV, Klopp suggested that he wasn’t surprised in the slightest.
“He’s a top class player, on the ball and without the ball,” said the Liverpool manager. “We had our moments when we were a bit too open thar’s clear, we have to work on it and we will do that.
“In a compact formation Alexis can play there for sure. If he’s there alone should he play there, then no. But he showed just how good a footballer he is and how well he understands the game. He played there for the first time for us and he did really well.”
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Mac Allister passes audition
There may have been a few unsure at the sight of Mac Allister in the old Fabinho position for Liverpool tonight.
It isn’t the job Liverpool paid £35m for the Argentina international to do. Although he was occasionally deployed there previously for Brighton.
But Liverpool don’t really have too many options right now. Curtis Jones has been playing there for the last couple of games, but picked up a knock prior to tonight’s fixture.
With little other option, Klopp turned to Mac Allister to be the deepest lying of Liverpool’s midfield three.
In the end, nobody need have been worried at all. The World Cup winner was arguably the Reds best player all night, pulling the strings and biting into well-timed tackles.
As Jurgen alludes to, this doesn’t mean that Mac Allister should be the answer full-time. Romeo Lavia remains a transfer priority for Liverpool and the 19-year-old is a much more natural fit.
But with the Premier League opener against Chelsea now looming, Mac Allister may have just played his way into a defensive midfield start at Stamford Bridge. On this showing, the Reds are in good hands.