Alexis Mac Allister has had a topsy-turvy start to life at Liverpool.
The Argentine arrived at Anfield as an established Premier League player who had won the World Cup, and he was expected to hit the ground running on Merseyside.
However, it hasn’t quite worked out like that for Mac Allister.
The South American has been solid enough, but he’s not played in his natural position in the midfield, being shifted to play as a number six most of the time for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Speaking on the Sky Sports Football Podcast, Jamie Carragher has been discussing Mac Allister, and he reckons that Liverpool will again look for a holding midfielder in the near future, claiming that the Argentine may not be quick enough to play as a lone number six due to how isolating that role can be.
Liverpool still need a defensive midfielder
Carragher gave his verdict on this situation and the £35m man.
“I still do think Liverpool are still looking for a holding midfield player. They put a bid in for [Moises] Caicedo when [Mac Allister had already been signed] so that tells you, I think, that they’re still looking for somebody in that role. But whether that happens in January or next summer because on the back of pulling out of that transfer, he went and brought [Ryan] Gravenberch, who’s a number eight. So maybe they then thought, ‘Well, okay, we’ll play Mac Allister as the lone six for the rest of the season’, and Liverpool have done really well, but at times you will get caught out defensively,” Carragher said.
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“There’s no doubt about that, because he probably lacks that defensive instinct or pace, really. I think if he was playing in that role alongside someone else, if you were playing like a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-4-2, it’d probably be a little bit more suited. But at times when you play 4-3-3, you can get isolated a little bit, and if you have a lack of pace it can get found out. We’ve just seen that on a few occasions.”
Working ok
Mac Allister may not be the ideal number six, but it has to be said that Liverpool’s midfield has been brilliant this season.
Yes, there is a glaring hole in certain games where the Reds aren’t dominating the ball, but at the same time, in games where Liverpool are ball-dominant, Mac Allister and co shine through.
However, this isn’t the first time Mac Allister’s pace has been questioned, and that’s something Liverpool may need to address.
A new defensive midfield option could be just what Liverpool need in certain games, but Mac Allister’s brilliance in that role is also something that has made Liverpool so effective in certain matches this season.
Finding the right dynamic in this Liverpool midfield isn’t an easy task, that’s for sure.