It looks like it’s – or at the least has been – a consensus of kinds on Alexis Mac Allister’s potential to play the No. 6 position.
Some followers have instructed that the Argentine merely doesn’t have the assets to be Liverpool’s first midfield position for the foreseeable future.
Together with studies of the Reds’ perceived curiosity in Fluminense’s Andre Trindade is anticipated was once that Jurgen Klopp’s males would herald a brand new signing in January to free ‘Macca’.
However has our No.10 actually been so poor as to justify the membership’s recruitment workforce’s seek for a brand new No.6?
What do the numbers say?
Evaluating Mac Allister’s numbers to these of Manchester Metropolis’s Rodri – arguably the league’s present premier – the previous Brighton man just isn’t totally represented by the statistics.
Based on Transfermarkt, Liverpool are conceding 0.8 targets per recreation when the 24-year-old is on the pitch, in comparison with Metropolis’s 0.6 this season when his Sky Blues counterpart is obtainable.
◉ Bruno Fernandes – 7
◉ Casemiro – 6
◉ Mason mounting – 4
◎ Conor Gallagher – 3
◎ Alexis MacAllister – 3
◎ Yves Bissouma – 2
◎ Declan Rice – 2
◎Rodri – 1Chosen midfielders who’ve dribbled previous within the Premier League this season. 👀 pic.twitter.com/tdmWhkGcPW
— Soccer Day by day (@footballdaily) August 22, 2023
There are after all statistics out there that delve just a little deeper into the relative significance of every participant within the midfield position.
Our summer time signing has made extra tackles (2.76), blocks (2.35) and interceptions (1.43) per 90 than Rodri or Declan Rice this season, and is available in a detailed second with 7.35 recoveries per 90, in accordance with FBref.
Nonetheless, the place the numbers differ critically to assist the aforementioned consensus is within the space of possession – a key space, it should be mentioned, for a facet transferring in direction of extra possession-based soccer.
Whereas carrying the ball, Mac Allister has seen himself dispossessed a powerful 11 occasions within the Premier League this season. That is three greater than Rice (8) and nearly double Rodri’s quantity (6).
Curiously, whereas the £35m signing seems a extra profitable out-of-possession challenger, our World Cup winner completes double the variety of failed makes an attempt to problem a dribbler (1.94) than his Metropolis counterparts (0. 88) and Gunners (0.88).
READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp’s doable successor simply equaled Pep Guardiola to additional show LFC credentials
READ MORE: Liverpool participant would not get the credit score he deserves as information proves he is the Premier League’s greatest – opinion
What options might Liverpool pursue available in the market?
Fluminense’s Andre has been touted as a possible resolution within the January market, though it stays to be seen whether or not that is still the case following studies that the membership are contemplating various choices.
If not the winner of the Copa Libertadores, then who?
To reply that query, Liverpool could need to name in a favor from one among their beloved former gamers in Xabi Alonso.
Mac Allister will know our subsequent suggestion in his worldwide teammate, and Bayer Leverkusen star, Exequiel Palacios.
The 25-year-old just isn’t as dependable a duel winner as Andre, though he actually appears the higher possibility than our personal midfielder in that respect.
It partly explains Leverkusen’s outstanding defensive document in 2023/24, with Alonso’s facet conceding simply as soon as extra (10) than the German high flight’s greatest protection in Bayern Munich (9), together with RB Leipzig.
The Bundesliga midfielder has a better success price this season (91.9% vs. 87.7%) in comparison with a better whole variety of makes an attempt per 90 (100.3 vs. 72.8).
Intriguingly, Palacios has solely been expropriated thrice, in comparison with Mac Allister’s eleven.
A possible change?
We mentioned Liverpool must ask for a favor, proper? And boy, oh boy, would that be a FAVORS and a half!
The German high workforce lately agreed a contract extension with their star midfielder, conserving him on the membership till the summer time of 2028.
Talking of which, dependable Bundesliga reporter Christian Falk mentioned this in regards to the participant again in September (by way of CaughtOffside’s Day by day Briefing): “At Leverkusen they’re very clear that they don’t need any extra departures from the membership – and that features Exequiel Palacios, regardless of rumors surrounding Liverpool. Piero Hincapie is one other participant thought of ‘not on the market’.
“Leverkusen are doing very nicely within the Bundesliga and Palacios is a part of Xabi Alonso’s plans for the marketing campaign.”
Leverkusen will clearly demand a high value for his providers, even when the potential for a transfer in January turns the participant’s head round.
Soccer Transfers’ switch valuation system estimates Palacios’ price between £19.1 million and £31.9 million. However truthfully, we would be shocked if the precise price ticket wasn’t at the least double the highest finish of that vary.
£60m plus is a critical amount of cash to spend after spending £145.7m on Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai, Mac Allister and Wataru Endo in the summertime.
In the end, our personal Argentinian sensation just isn’t performing badly, regardless of a handful of examples this season exposing his restricted restoration tempo.
It is also price highlighting that it is outstanding how sturdy his numbers are, regardless of discovering himself in a model new midfield at occasions when Curtis Jones was unavailable.
It suggests we should not sharpen our pitchforks in an try to goad our teaching workers into pushing Mac Allister even increased up the pitch (even when his talents would lend themselves nicely to a extra superior position).
That mentioned, if the membership nonetheless stays within the prospect of reinforcing the midfield in January, they may do rather a lot worse than going all out for the doubtless very costly possibility of Exequiel Palacios.
🤩 EOTK FPL Gameweek 12 evaluation 🤩: Frustration from Tsimika’s benching, Palmer discount? Time to promote Heung-min Son?
