This season, a Liverpool combination has excelled in numerous ways, giving Jürgen Klopp exactly what the team sorely needed last year.
When word spread that Liverpool had withdrawn from a potential deal to sign Jude Bellingham less than six months prior, the club came under intense criticism. Fair enough, the constant links to the midfielder justified the anger.
Few, though, were able to contest the choice in the end. Bellingham by herself was unable to address all of Jürgen Klopp’s problems.
Spending an expensive sum on a player, when Liverpool needed at least two or three high-quality midfielders, was not feasible. Instead, Liverpool opted for the ‘wise’ alternative which was to seek a deal for Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister.
Few could now contest that choice following their initial few months at the club. Bellingham has flourished at Real Madrid, and there is no denying that he is a player of a generation, but Liverpool also has two standout players in Mac Allister and Szoboszlai.
The pair cost $115 million (£95 million/€ 109 million), just a little more than Bellingham’s total transfer fee to Real Madrid, which was $109 million (£90 million/€ 103 million). The club has benefited from having two players for the price of one.
Szoboszlai and Mac Allister have both brought new life to Liverpool’s midfield. Klopp now has players who can make things happen in pivotal moments, including Szoboszlai, who won a penalty against Bournemouth to help tie the game, who scored his first goal against Aston Villa, and Mac Allister, who provided a magnificent assist to give the Reds the lead against West Ham at the weekend.
Although much has been said about their potential future contributions, it’s also important to recognize how crucial the two of them have been defensively.
Last year, Liverpool’s midfield was exposed and relatively simple for the opponent to attack. Szoboszlai and Mac Allister have delivered the stability in the middle of the park that Klopp was looking for in new additions.
It is no accident that Szoboszlai has won (7) and Mac Allister has won (8) the most tackles for Liverpool in the Premier League thus far. According to FBref, Mac Allister leads the Liverpool team in tackles and interceptions combined (21) while Szoboszlai is in fifth place (13) overall.
Only Andy Robertson (48), Szoboszlai (42) and Mac Allister (35), and the Liverpool team as a whole have recovered more thus far.
Although their defensive contributions have likely gone unnoticed, they have been just as important to Liverpool’s strong and promising start to the season as their brilliance farther up the field.
The fact that Liverpool has, as a result, allowed the second-fewest goals in the league this season, behind Manchester City (3), is certainly no accident.
And Klopp will be thrilled with what the pair has already contributed. The thrilling aspect is that there will be a lot more as well.