Jürgen Klopp didn’t hesitate to point out what is probably Alexis Mac Allister’s best quality. On Thursday afternoon, the 24-year-old midfielder was formally introduced as Liverpool’s first acquisition of the summer transfer window. Soon after, the manager of the midfielder’s new team shared some of his thoughts.
“I don’t think the football world needs me to say too much about Alexis’ qualities because they are already pretty well known, but it is clear that he is someone who can play in a number of positions in the midfield and is an all-rounder,” Klopp said to liverpoolfc . com. “He is a person with appropriate game intelligence who is calm and composed. ”
Indeed, Mac Allister has excelled in a variety of roles thus far in his career. This season, he first emerged as a number six alongside Moisés Caicedo before being used further forward as a number 10 because of an injury suffered by Adam Lallana. The World Cup victor is capable of doing it all, as Roberto De Zerbi recently realized.
After the winter FIFA World Cup, Brighton and Hove Albion’s manager said, “I don’t know if he’s better as a playmaker or 20 meters further forward.”. “I recently spoke with his father, who informed me that although Adam Lallana, a teacher, currently holds the Argentina position, he prefers it, he said.
At a time when Klopp’s vision for the team is still fluid, Mac Allister’s remarkable versatility is a huge asset that Liverpool should seize upon. Initially interested in Jude Bellingham, the German coach has also been linked to other players like Mason Mount, Ryan Gravenberch, Matheus Nunes, Manu Koné, and Khéphren Thuram, to name a few.
It is unclear what Liverpool will become in the upcoming season and how Klopp will set up his team given that those players all have different skills. On Merseyside, the 4-3-3 has always been his go-to formation, but in the past year, he’s also used the 4-4-2 and, more recently, the 3-2-5.
Some athletes rely on the environment around them to succeed on the field, but Mac Allister has positioned himself as the kind of performer who can contribute regardless of where he is placed in the middle of the field.
The South American resembles Gini Wijnaldum in many ways. In an interview with the Dutch publication AD, Klopp’s assistant Pep Lijnders described the Dutchman as a player “who fits into different roles,” which made Liverpool want to sign him in 2016.
Liverpool was compared to a “chameleon” by Lijnders in a 2019 interview with liverpoolfc.com.
“A winning mentality and an adaptable mindset are essential.
This variety is a part of who we are. It changes color, but it never forgets that it’s a chameleon, he said.
The best way to learn is by getting to know your own mind, but games can also teach you things. It’s crucial because opposing teams are altering their setup more frequently. That’s good news for me because it indicates that we are improving and moving in the right direction because they are worried more now. “.
Mac Allister appears to be the ideal Wijnaldum replacement and the player who will give Liverpool the flexibility it once had during contests. Additionally, he will give Klopp options for the rest of the summer because the Reds manager is aware that his most recent acquisition will be fine in any system he chooses for the upcoming campaign.
With Mac Allister on board, it doesn’t matter that Klopp’s master plan is still a work in progress.
