In the last 5 matches for Liverpool, Alexis Mac Allister has scored or assisted. And the Argentine midfielder did both in the 5-1 win over Sparta Prague in the Europa League. With another brilliant performance against his former team Brighton in the 30th round of the Premier League, Mac Allister is affirming his importance at Anfield.
After joining Liverpool from Brighton for £55 million last summer, Mac Allister has continued to impress. More specifically, this midfielder has been successful in both of the roles assigned by Jurgen Klopp.
The 2022 World Cup winner started the season at Anfield as a strange "number 6". That was never the plan of both The Kop and the former Brighton midfielder. Mac Allister attracted Liverpool's attention with his impressive attacking statistics and 10 goals in the Premier League last season.
However, at the end of July last year, the departure of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson forced Mac Allister to adapt. The Argentine said: "It's clearly not an idea. But everything has changed. At the beginning of the season, we didn't have a suitable number 6, so I had to take this job. Jurgen Klopp likes that. So I try my best and everything to help the team."
Mac Allister's impressive performance against Man City was a refutation of criticism that Mac Allister's defensive skills would be difficult against big opponents. Not only that, in terms of attack, Liverpool scored an average of 2.5 goals per match with Mac Allister on the field compared to 1.6 goals in his absence.
A knee injury that kept the former Brighton midfielder out for seven games in December highlighted his importance. Liverpool lacked the flexibility Mac Allister brought in midfield.
Replacing Mac Allister in the "number 6" position, Wataru Endo - a more typical holding midfielder - has found a foothold in that time. Liverpool also led the Premier League on New Year's Day 2024 with a win over Newcastle. But Mac Allister's return in the 2-0 FA Cup win over Arsenal was a reminder of the South American's qualities.
Entering the Carabao Cup final week, Liverpool have 5 injured midfielders. In particular, the absence of Dominik Szoboszlai means Klopp needs a solution for the "number 8" role. Therefore, Mac Allister was pushed higher in the matches against Burnley, Brentford and Luton.
That move - including Endo's return to defensive midfield - was rewarded with Mac Allister's goal against Brentford.
Meeting Brighton again at Anfield recently, the Argentine has completed the transition from the "number 6" role to an assist midfielder excellently. Mac Allister's deep-lying assists helped Liverpool have another impressive comeback.
In the context of Mohamed Salah missing many opportunities, Mac Allister helped Liverpool control the match. The midfielder has created more chances than any other player on the pitch. It was Mac Allister who assisted Salah to score the winning goal and relieve the pressure.
Mac Allister has provided five assists for Liverpool in the Premier League this season, equal to Brighton's record but with just one of three games in hand. More impressively, four of those five assists helped Liverpool win. In a season where Liverpool have to plow through many arenas, having a difference-making factor like Mac Allister is a big advantage.
"I think Mac Allister has become a great player. Liverpool's assist for the second goal was incredible. I am happy, I am proud of him because I have worked with him, he deserves to be an important player in a big team", Roberto De Zerbi commented on his former student.
