Liverpool: Reds star who played worse than Robbo could now be dropped

The Reds ceded territory in the Premier League yet again, and one ace was at the epicentre.

For the second weekend in a row, Liverpool lost ground in the Premier League, but everything is not lost. The Reds may have missed the chance to lead before the international break in October, but other teams’ performances have sparked an exciting early title competition.

Jurgen Klopp’s team knew they had been unfairly treated after losing to Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, but against Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, the only ones to blame for earning just one point were present on the AMEX Stadium field.

Brighton are a tricky customer and to head back to Merseyside with a draw is not the worst conclusion in the world, especially given that Arsenal and Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs are only three points ahead in the driving seat.

Klopp also knows that his ambitious outfit will enjoy a favourable run of opponents in the English top flight before the daunting trip to the Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City at the end of November.

After a disastrous 2022–23 season that produced rotten fruits, Liverpool will play in the Europa League. This presents an excellent opportunity for squad rotation, and while the Champions League’s rhythm teases the Anfield side, early season progress suggests a top–four finish is more than possible.

Since Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, and James Milner, who were formerly successful, intense, and unyielding, were not performing to the required quality and all have since moved on during the summer, the deteriorating midfield was largely to blame for last season’s failure.

Arriving in their stead, a fresher, exciting mix have started to strut their stuff, with the all-consuming Dominik Szoboszlai possibly the most transformative signing since Virgil van Dijk was welcomed to the central defence; Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo are intriguing acquisitions in contrasting ways, with the former, aged 21, really growing into his skin.

In July, Liverpool made its first summer signing when they acquired Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton for a pittance of £35 million. This was done after Liverpool finished fifth the previous season.

The Argentine played a key role in the Seagulls securing European football for the first time in their history as well as winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar last season. So far, he has been reliable but unspectacular at his new team.

How many goals did Alexis Mac Allister score last season?

One year ago, Mac Allister was a rising star but not quite a high-profile phenom, but that, of course, would change when his impressive club performances warranted a place in Lionel Scaloni’s World Cup squad.

The 24-year-old was quite simply magnificent after starting six of the seven matches, interestingly absent only for Argentina’s shocking group-stage defeat to Saudi Arabia.

Posting a goal, against Poland and a “sumptuous” assist, which came in the final and was hailed as such by Gary Lineker, Mac Allister completed 89% of his passes, averaged 1.3 key passes and 1.5 tackles per game and won 67% of his dribbles and 67% of his ground duels.

Stellar stuff, with the dynamism and energy turning Klopp’s head, but if international exploits can sometimes be misleading to the longevity of a player’s prowess, Mac Allister’s performances were but an illustration of the grander, hundred-hued picture of his quality.

Across the 2022/23 club campaign, the 19-cap international plundered 12 goals and three assists across 40 appearances and insinuated himself within the Premier League’s best, dubbed “very intelligent” by his compatriot Sergio Aguero.

His exploits led Albion content creator Ryan Adsett to dud him the club’s “golden boy”, such gilt-edged showings leading to a hive of interest from some of the Premier League’s best, but despite advances from Arsenal and Chelsea, it was indeed Liverpool who won the race for his signature.

How is Alexis Mac Allister playing at Liverpool?

Now, Mac Allister has not quite hit his stride at Liverpool, but that is certainly not to say that he has been poor since his summer arrival, having been utilised in a deep-lying midfield role across all eight of his Premier League matches for the Reds.

This is because Liverpool failed to sign a starring holding midfielder after Fabinho’s exit to the riches of the Saudi Pro League; Endo is an astute addition, but he is probably not effective enough to serve in the role all the time.