PRAISE: For Leeds United from Liverpool boss Arne Slot, above.placeholder image
PRAISE: For Leeds United from Liverpool boss Arne Slot, above. | Getty Images
Arne Slot has a decision to make for Liverpool against Brighton with one player’s position being questioned in some quarters.
Liverpool’s rehabilitation continues to be a slow one with the feeling that the next bump in the road is just around the corner.
The last thing that Arne Slot would have wanted is for Mohamed Salah to throw his toys out of the pram as one of the squad’s leaders, but he can be buoyed by the support shown to him by fans in the San Siro and by the numerous ex-players, pundits and journalists who have backed his stance in not playing the 33-year old in recent weeks. Speaking to Prime Video after the win over Inter Milan, the Reds boss hinted that, if any bridges are to be mended, that it is the player who will have to make the first step.
Should Liverpool drop Alexis Mac Allister?
Against Inter, Slot will have been happy with a performance that was disciplined, well-organised and resolute, it was a proper team display that shows there is a unity behind the scenes and that the manager hasn’t lost the dressing room in totality, even if Salah isn’t impressed with his current importance. The Reds boss has had to juggle new players struggling to adjust to life at Anfield, title winners having a dip in form and others who missed pre-season training through injury and haven’t managed to get up to speed.
One of those has had his display against Inter questioned despite covering more ground than any of his midfield teammates at 12.2km and had an 86% pass success rate according to Fot Mob. Alexis Mac Allister, signed for £35m in 2023, won 6/7 defensive duels and made a similar number of passes into the final third as Curtis Jones and Dominic Szoboszlai, and yet his performance has been widely criticised as being below par.
Slot has tweaked his formation into more of a diamond and when Florian Wirtz replaced Alexander Isak, there was a lot more cohesion. The gap between the midfield and Hugo Ekitike was bridged and Liverpool carried a consistent threat for the first time in the game. Mac Allister might not be scoring goals or creating assists, but he is playing a key role in filling the gaps that others leave behind when they venture forward and of protecting the back four.
Tactical change Slot might make with Mac Allister at risk
If Slot brings Salah back into the team and moves Wirtz to the left flank there will only be space for three players in midfield which is where Mac Allister might have a battle on his hands. Jones is in an excellent run of form, is barely missing a pass, and is playing most of his passes forwards getting Liverpool on the front foot.
Head-to-head, Mac Allister might struggle to keep his place, especially with Jones being vocal about his backing of Arne Slot: “We always are, always are,”Jones said after impressing in the San Siro, via the BBC. “He’s human at the end of the day so, of course, if we get beat, it obviously affects him. It affects us all too, the same way it affects the fans. He is a positive man, he always makes a change and the style of play has changed a bit. He’s as hungry as ever, he’s exactly the same as us. He is in it there with us as well, and we’re there with him.”
If Slot keeps the same formation, it is Isak who should be dropped, but Mac Allister might have to do a bit more to dislodge Jones in his current form if it is changed.
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