Jurgen Klopp’s decision to play summer acquisition Alexis Mac Allister as a No. 6 has drawn criticism, but the Liverpool boss has given an explanation of why he felt the World Cup winner should play a deeper role.
Following wins over Everton and Toulouse, the Reds cruised to a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at Anfield on Sunday afternoon. This was their third straight win since the international break.
Klopp’s team easily defeated the visiting team thanks to goals from Diogo Jota, Darwin Nuñez, and Mohamed Salah. It was one of the club’s most composed and impressive displays of the year.
Mac Allister, who began the game at the base of a three-man midfield with Ryan Gravenberch and fellow rookie Dominik Szoboszlai, had a great afternoon as well. The Argentine performed admirably against Nottingham Forest this season despite receiving some minor criticism in a less prominent role.
Following the game, Klopp expressed his gratitude for Mac Allister without holding back, outlining the rationale for his choice to stick with the £35 million player as a No. 6.
After the match, Klopp made the following statement: “Obviously, we wouldn’t play him there if we weren’t having this conversation.
“I believe that everyone can now recognise the advantages of a player who comes from the offensive rather than the defensive side of the game. Switch sides when playing a game where you have to make stuff since not every ball will reach the target.
“But if you try something in tight spaces, that’s completely normal. I have no problem at all with losing balls around the box because that’s where we should be then for the counter-press. So, these things can happen.”
Mac Allister made a total of four tackles, four blocks, and eleven recoveries while playing both offensive and defence. In addition, the Argentine recorded 101 touches, which is more than in any other game this season, and a season-high 17 progressive passes, demonstrating both his ability to move the ball forward and shield the back four.
Klopp continued, saying, “I’m really happy for Mac Allister.” He excels at these things. He had several excellent defensive moments, truly crushed the counter, and other things like this.
“Because of this, we play him there. He is quite skilled in one-on-one settings, therefore as a team, we must ensure that the gaps are kept to a minimum at these times.
“In these situations, we can accomplish that with the centre striker, wingers, and [No.] 8s. We can also accomplish that with the center-half defending in midfield.
“Obviously beneficial, we have a tremendously creative player in the middle of the park who sometimes plays with Trent. Very beneficial.”
Wataru Endo, who is becoming more and more impressive, is expected to start for Mac Allister against Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup midweek. However, Mac Allister’s performance against Nottingham Forest demonstrates just how much he is improving under Klopp’s guidance.