Alexis Mac Allister’s Liverpool struggle continues

The position issue continues for the Argentine.

Transcript

00:00 Looking specifically at Alexis McAllister, a huge signing on paper when he joined from Brighton in the summer.

00:07 It hasn't quite worked out for him in terms of his positional awareness on the pitch so far.

00:13 What can change because it's not been the ideal start in that sort of role he's been playing?

00:17 No, it's not. You have to have a little bit of sympathy for him because he wasn't signed to be playing in this No. 6 role.

00:25 You see him at Brighton last season, he was one of the best tackle midfielders in the league.

00:29 He goes and helps Argentina win the World Cup, starting the World Cup final,

00:34 probably playing nearly enough every game at that tournament and growing and growing in that team.

00:39 He comes to Liverpool where you look at him thinking, well, one of them No. 8 roles is going to be him.

00:45 His Dominic Sobosley signs as well.

00:48 I always thought Curtis Jones would make it hard for either of those two to win a berth.

00:55 If you look at Mikhailo Sobosley, you're probably thinking, well, it's going to be Sobosley who probably takes that little bit of extra time.

01:01 He's just come to the Premier League. Mikhailo has obviously been there for Brighton.

01:05 Circumstances don't go his way because of the unexpected departures of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson.

01:11 It took Liverpool a while to get a specialist defensive midfielder in him, Taro Endo.

01:16 Mikhailo Sobosley has already started the season in that role.

01:21 The pool changed things a little bit. It became more possession-based, that No. 6 rather than having a destroyer in there.

01:28 But in some games, he has been exposed. The one at Wolves, after the international break,

01:35 some mitigating circumstances there given that he has had a bit of a nightmare journey coming back from Argentina.

01:41 But he wasn't particularly great at Brighton and obviously into Luton.

01:45 He was pretty poor, to be quite frank, for a player of his quality. He's picked up five buckings now already.

01:52 And he suspends us. To be serving a suspension before even Christmas comes around,

02:01 that shows you that maybe he's a player who's not a defensive midfielder.

02:08 He'll have ambitions to be playing in one of those No. 8 roles.

02:17 But it's difficult for him now because when Keir says Jones has been available this season, he's played there.

02:23 It's his pressing and his simplicity as a game really that keeps Keir says Jones in that position.

02:28 Liverpool have missed him when he hasn't played.

02:30 Ryan Gravenberch has also featured there when Jones hasn't been available off late because of suspension and injury.

02:37 He's done well as well, Gravenberch. I think he's come on leaps and bounds already.

02:41 He's got a lot more to give. On the right-hand side of the No. 8 role, that's firmly Dominic Soboslaa.

02:48 Harvey Elliott keeps coming on and impressing every time he has a cameo off the bench.

02:54 If Soboslaa wasn't to play, then maybe Harvey Elliott gets the nod there.

02:58 Is Alexis McAllister finding himself in a little bit of Liverpool limbo now, potentially?

03:04 You see, Daniel Pekka knows we're in the No. 8 positions, but he's not a No. 6.

03:10 You've got Wataru Enzo there, who Jürgen Klopp calls one of the best midfielders in the Bundesliga.

03:15 He's been at Liverpool for the best part, well, certainly two and a half, the best part of three months now.

03:21 He hasn't had any chances, bar the Newcastle game, featured in his best role.

03:26 He's been limited to Europa League and Carabao Cup outing.

03:30 When is it going to be time for Wataru Enzo? Liverpool have got Manchester City after an international break.

03:36 Can they really deploy Alexis McAllister's screen in defence against Manchester City?

03:41 A lot of people would be worried about that.