A few months ago Alexis Mac Allister was looking a little languid and games seemed to be passing him by. Sure he was playing out of position as our defensive midfielder, but doubts remained.
With Wataru Endo joining the party, Mac Alister started to flourish. He’s now improving with every game, and has started to dominate proceedings.
Of course playing in his preferred position was important, but I feel other factors were also at play. At the start of the season, our attention was immediately drawn to the all-action Dominik Szoboszlai. He was literally everywhere on the pitch and scoring ‘worldies’ every other week. His dynamism compared favourably with the defunct midfield of last season. A once majestic engine didn’t just fail its MOT, but needed pushing to the garage.
While Szoboszlai was the midfield pace we were looking for at the time, Mac Allister was more of a slow burn. His game is based on a different skillset to Dominik’s. It’s about understanding the feel of the team around him, and knowing the players and their habits. Learning Darwin Nuñez’s habits would be challenging for anyone, for example!
This was also a brand-new midfield, a fact that so many forget. What is now clear is that Mac Allister has not only a top-class footballing brain, something very close to my heart; but also the skills, and application, to match.
He is now the cement in our team. He plays it simple when necessary, caring for the ball like it’s his child that cannot be lost. At other times, he can play a world-class through ball, or like last night, a wonderful strike. For £35 million we may well have found ourselves our new future, our next world-class player.
I did wonder who he reminded me of; a midfielder with guile, strength and that oh-so-necessary touch of class. Bizarrely I came up with his namesake, Gary MacAllister. But Alexis is only 25, and coming into his prime, whereas we only saw Gary play for us in his latter years.
He may not have the athleticism of a Gerrard, the brute force of a Souness or even the engine of a Wjnaldum, but he has class in bucket loads, and he’ll do for me. With Szoboszlai, who is also playing into form, we have a new central midfield that looks like it has a balance of abilities and is potentially a match for any midfield in Europe.
So it’s on to Old Trafford on Sunday. I’ve already forgotten the FA Cup game. We’ve won a trophy already, and now have bigger fish to fry.
I must admit at the start of the season I would have taken a domestic trophy and getting back into the Champions League. Now we’re top of the league. After the pain of being at Anfield v Wolves while City were two down to Villa with 15 minutes to go, I can hardly dare to feel we can win it. Whatever happens, I intend to enjoy the remaining weeks of the Klopp era. What an incredible few years it’s been!
On a final note, I loved it in the new Upper Anfield Road stand against Brighton. Brilliant view, with an atmosphere to match.
Til next time…
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