Klopp could bin Mac Allister for Anfield’s amazing £40k-p/w talent

Liverpool have started the 2023/24 campaign as strongly as supporters could have hoped for, winning four successive matches in the Premier League after starting the term with a draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

It’s a major sigh of relief for all affiliated with the Anfield side, after Jurgen Klopp suffered a terrible year as his side failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in seven seasons, utterly unrecognisable to the intense, high-octane system that has been a hallmark of his prosperous English outfit.

The Reds have completely reshaped their midfield after such sapped energy on show last season, and the early signs are certainly promising, but now Klopp will hope to nurture the outfit’s cohesion and unity over the coming weeks and months, eyeing silver-laden success once again.

To kick off the summer spending, the Merseyside outfit completed the transfer of Brighton & Hove Albion’s Alexis Mac Allister, and while he has enjoyed a solid, energetic start to life at Liverpool, it may do him some good to be placed on the bench this week.

How are Liverpool playing?

Liverpool are playing very well, all things considered. The draw against Chelsea to open the seasonal account highlighted the promise of this new-look outfit but underscored the defensive frailties that eradicated the club’s optimism last term.

Klopp worked hard to purge the team of the woes of last year, and it would be ludicrous to think that the Reds would hit their zenith so soon after such drastic alteration, but the preliminary signs are promising, and the fact that Liverpool currently on a four-match winning streak is exciting when looking ahead.

All-conquering midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai has been immense since joining from RB Leipzig, hailed as “like a young Gerrard” by former England striker Tash Dowie.

Mohamed Salah is ever-imperious and has already posted two goals and four assists from just five matches; while last season’s under-fire backline has only conceded four goals in the top-flight so far – bettered only by defending champions and pace-setters Manchester City.

How is Alexis Mac Allister playing?

Mac Allister, who rose to prominence as a centrepiece of a thriving Brighton team last season and won the 2022 World Cup with Argentina, played a starring role and was heralded for one “sumptuous” assist in Qatar by Gary Lineker.

However, having been started against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon, the ace endured a torrid time and was substituted early by Klopp, who claimed simply that “he was done”.

Now this is no detriment to his ability; Mac Allister had just finished a match with his nation against Bolivia less than four days earlier and was playing at an incredibly high altitude.

Partner that with an arduous journey back to Liverpool halfway across the globe, and it’s no wonder he was out of sorts at Molineux.

The 24-year-old has started all five of Liverpool’s Premier League outings this season (despite receiving a red card against Bournemouth, which was overturned after a review), and completed 86% of his passes from central midfield, making 2.6 tackles and 5.4 ball recoveries per game, succeeding with 63% of his dribbles and winning 58% of his duels, as per Sofascore.

Partner that with two outings for Argentina during the international break, and it might be wise to drop the £150k-per-week phenom for the time being, especially with the opening match of Liverpool’s Europa League campaign now forthcoming.

While Mac Allister is a talented midfielder, there might just be an apt replacement waiting in the wings in the form of Harvey Elliott, who has impressed this term despite having yet to receive a starting berth.

Why should Harvey Elliott start for Liverpool?

Elliott, who joined Liverpool from Fulham as a 16-year-old, played an important role last year and made 46 appearances across all competitions, scoring six goals and receiving praise for his “superb” displays by Liverpool writer Matt Addison.

This year, he has been lauded by pundit Jamie Carragher for his “excellent” impact off the bench against Wolves, and having made cameos across each outing so far, his displays now warrant a maiden seasonal start.

As per Sofascore, the £40k-per-week gem has completed 86% of his passes and won 60% of his duels, and while it’s early days, the latter metric alludes to an improvement in physicality and application from last term, where he won just 45% and was criticised for being “outmuscled” by writer Leanne Prescott.

Additionally, the 20-year-old ranks among the top 14% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 13% for progressive passes, the top 5% for progressive carries and the top 6% for blocks per 90, as per FBref.

Mac Allister, comparatively, ranks among the top 14% for shot-creating actions, the top 16% for progressive carries and the top 12% for successful take-ons per 90 – while Elliott is by no means the refined, all-embracing ace Mac Allister is yet, he definitely boasts qualities to fill in for his South American counterpart.

With a trip to Austria to face LASK awaiting on Thursday night, it seems pretty likely that Elliott will be among the starters, but should he impress at the Raiffeisen Arena, Klopp could start to utilise his talents from the opening whistle in the Premier League with greater regularity.

There is no doubt that Liverpool have secured the signature of a first-class midfielder in Mac Allister, but he has been steady if unspectacular thus far for Klopp’s side, and while he is easily one of the club’s best midfielders, it might be time to shake things up.

Without question, he will and should start the lion’s share of Liverpool’s matches this season, but Elliott has impressed off the bench on numerous occasions now and will be anxious to demonstrate his skills more often after breaking through last term.

The one-time Fulham youngster offers something a bit different, and Klopp would now be wise to allow him to take to the stage.