Liverpool take on Chelsea in their first Premier League game of the new season and all eyes will be on summer signing Alexis Mac Allister.
The Reds have signed only two players so far this summer and they have paid Brighton €42 million for Mac Allister’s services. The 24-year-old was wonderful for Argentina in the World Cup and he was also influential in the Seagulls’ dominant midfield last season.
Liverpool have sold Fabinho and Jordan Henderson which means the club is without a proper defensive midfielder right now so there are talks that Klopp might use Alexis Mac Allister in the deep-lying role on Sunday.
The Liverpool boss was asked if the Argentine can play in a CDM role and the manager has given a positive response.
Klopp said, via Liverpoolfc.com: “He’s a top-class player; on the ball [and] without the ball.
“Yes, in a compact formation, Alexis can play there[as a CDM], definitely. If he’s there alone, should he play there? No. But now he showed just how good a footballer he is and how good he understands the game because he played here now [for] the first time for us at least and he did really well.”
Will Alexis Mac Allister play as a central defender?
Liverpool were ready to pay £111 million for Moises Caicedo but as per the latest reports, the defensive midfielder is not interested in joining Liverpool and he is waiting for Chelsea to make a move for him.
As things stand, the Anfield outfit will miss out on Caicedo so they won’t be able to bring in a number six before Sunday’s match against Chelsea.
The club have sold both Fabinho and Henderson this summer while Thiago does not have the legs to play as a CDM which means Jurgen Klopp has no other option but to use Mac Allister as the number six on Sunday.
Alexis Mac Allister has played 215 professional matches and out of these, only 22 have been as a defensive midfielder. He’s mostly played in a central role or as a No 10 so there’s no denying that using him as a CDM will be a big gamble, especially against a team like Chelsea.
After missing out on Moises Caicedo, Liverpool have shifted their focus to Romeo Lavia but they won’t be able to sign the Southampton man before Sunday so Klopp has no other option but to use Mac Allister as the defensive screen.
Apart from the Argentina international, Liverpool have Stefan Bajcetic and Thiago who can play as a defensive midfielder but both of them are ruled out with injuries for Sunday’s trip to London. The manager will stick to his 4-3-3 formation with Mac Allister playing in a slightly deeper midfield role while Dominik Szoboszlai will play as the No 10.
