Ibrahima Konate has probably received more flak than any other Liverpool player this season, and understandably so, but he’s hardly the only member of Arne Slot’s squad who has been flattering to deceive.
Mohamed Salah is horribly out of sorts on the right flank; record signings Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak have both yet to produce even a portion of the world-class quality FSG paid for; even the skipper, Virgil van Dijk, has lacked his usual indomitability, with his leadership being questioned too.
It’s all gone a bit wrong for Slot and his team this season, so fragile and brittle, so susceptible to the physical side of the game.
The midfield have been limp and toothless, and after two campaigns of undeniable brilliance, Alexis Mac Allister looks a shadow of his finest self, and fans are questioning why.
Why Mac Allister is struggling for Liverpool
Mac Allister is a seasoned part of this Liverpool team now. A leader and among Slot’s most trusted lieutenants, he was instrumental in last season’s title-winning success, the perfect counterpoint to Ryan Gravenberch in his deep-lying berth.
But the 26-year-old has fallen off a proverbial cliff since the summer, almost unrecognisable in the middle of the park. Mac Allister looks sapped, leggy. This dynamic, creative, though-tackling midfielder has been relegated to the realm of the mundane, with one content creator even suggesting the Argentine looks like “looks like Fabinho’s season”.
This isn’t good, of course, and Slot may need to start turning toward some left-field solutions. Repetition without results is the first sign of madness – right? – so the Dutch head coach surely needs to rewire his engine room if things do not change for the better over the coming weeks.
Matches (starts)
35 (30)
11 (10)
Goals
5
0
Assists
5
2
Touches*
55.8
47.2
Accurate passes*
35.5 (87%)
31.5 (86%)
Key passes*
1.3
0.9
Dribbles*
0.5
0.1
Ball recoveries*
4.2
2.9
Tackles + interceptions*
3.3
1.5
Clearances*
0.8
0.8
Duels (won)*
4.9 (48%)
2.5 (44%)
Liverpool wouldn’t want to part with the South American star, who has been so impressive since joining from Brighton in 2023, but Slot may find that he has a central midfielder tearing away from the academy who might actually come to take Mac Allister’s spot for him.
He’s even been likened to former Manchester United superstar Paul Pogba.
The Liverpool teen who could replace Mac Allister
Pogba, who made his long-anticipated return to competitive football with AS Monaco last weekend, was once one of the most famous faces in the Premier League, having re-joined Manchester United from Juventus for a world-record £89m fee in 2016.
The Frenchman’s career has been one of ups and downs, but he undoubtedly boasts obscene amounts of natural ability, and in this, Liverpool are beginning to get excited given the likeness shared with Trey Nyoni.
Nyoni is only 18, but already he has featured eight times for Liverpool’s first team, making the bench on five separate occasions in the Premier League this season.
His long, limber frame and ability to use his physicality to tussle with stockier opponents are reminiscent of Pogba back in his earlier days, and the surpassing technical quality that has seen him ascend from academy level to the major stage is further evidence that Liverpool have got a gem on their hands.
Praised for his “simply exceptional” range of passing by journalist Lewis Bower, Nyoni is raw and unpolished but boasts such a staggering reservoir of natural gifts that he will surely reach the top of the game with care and focus on raising his physicality.
Analyst Ben Mattinson remarked last year that there is “so much resemblance” between the Les Bleus superstar and Nyoni’s own physical profile, and this could see him cement a starting berth at Liverpool in the coming years.
Given that he would be jockeying with Mac Allister for a berth, sporting director Richard Hughes may shimmy a few cogs around so that Nyoni’s rise coincides with the potential bumper sale of Liverpool’s midfield general.
In any case, this is a youngster with the potential to succeed at Liverpool, perhaps adding a flavour of Pogba’s powerful brilliance to Slot’s team down the line.
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4 ByAngus Sinclair
