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Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Mac Allister again filled in as the six for Liverpool against Bournemouth on Sunday and turned in his performance of the season so far.
By the end of Sunday’s 4-0 victory over Bournemouth, Liverpool were spoiled for choice when it came to quality performances. From Diogo Jota and Darwin Nuñez’ braces to Ibrahima Konaté’s standout defending to Conor Bradley’s high quality Premier League debut there were plenty to choose from.
For many, though, the standout was Alexis Mac Allister, with the 25-year-old Argentine putting in arguably his performance of the season with a dominating display at the base of midfield, recording the most tackles for a Liverpool midfielder in the last eight years while creating more scoring chances than anyone on the pitch.
“Absolutely exceptional performance, I have to say,” was manager Jürgen Klopp’s reaction. “I’m so happy for us, obviously, but for him as well. He’s a really good footballer, defensively did a good job and offensively he is a super-important player for us. He was calm on the ball; all the good things happened with him.”
The deeper role is one Mac Allister increasingly seems to be growing into, with his smart positioning and combativeness making up for a slight lack of size compared to the sort of player many would expect to take on the role—one that the player before has spoken of as helping to further unlock his creative game.
Still, many will still be waiting eagerly for the return of Wataru Endo from the Asian Cup and with it the chance for Mac Allister to possibly push up into one of the eight roles many assumed he was brought in for. Wherever he plays in midfield, though, it’s clear he can make an impact—and clear why Klopp rates him so highly.
