It was a debut campaign enjoyed by Alexis Mac Allister, who may have been Liverpool’s player of the season despite being moved into midfield.
The Argentine arrived at Anfield back in June and was an integral part of the Brighton team that once again exceeded expectations that in the 2022/23 season. finish just five points behind Liverpool.
Dominik Szoboszlai stole the headlines in the opening weeks of the season, but it was Mac Allister who ended his first year on Merseyside with the lion’s share of plaudits.
He did so despite having to cover the Reds’ midfield for much of the campaign, his importance to the team moving forward now unquestionable.
Alexis McAllister, 2023/24
Started: 40 (All Competitions)
Included as a replacement: 6
Unused pad: 4
Objectives: 7
Assists: 7
Overall Season Rating: 8.42
Early views
Mac Allister signed at the very start of the summer, with little secret of the club’s admiration for him in the days leading up to his unveiling.
I remember my main takeaway from Stamford Bridge on the opening day was that we had a player on our hands, even if his role in the team was yet to be fully determined.
The World Cup winner’s impressive first appearance in red was followed by the first of many stunning refereeing decisions in 2023/24 when his afternoon was cut short by Thomas Bramall an hour into his first trip to Anfield.
That red card was later overturned, allowing him to pick up where he left off with a string of promising performances throughout August and September.
Wataru Endo has taken some time to adjust to life in England, leaving Jurgen Klopp to call on Mac Allister to anchor his midfield three early in the season.
As the Japan captain began to face the rigors of the Premier League, Mac Allister was released further up the pitch as a midfielder, where we really started to get a glimpse of what he is capable of.
Limited by circumstances
By the time Endo left for the Asian Cup in January, the 25-year-old had already established himself as a regular on the squad list, but his absence has seen Liverpool’s No.10 take over as the only other capable first-team defensive midfielder available .
Japan’s untimely departure was welcome news for the Reds and Endo returned to the side for February’s 3-1 home win against Burnley, starting a run of eight league starts in the next 10.
It’s no coincidence, then, that February also marked the time when Mac Allister came into his own and sprinted forward in the race to be recognized as Liverpool’s player of the season.
The World Cup winner was powerful from that point on, becoming one of the few players to emerge from the stretch that saw the Reds collapse on three fronts with full credit remaining in the bank.
What we saw from him when he was unleashed in the No.8 position has undoubtedly whetted the appetite for what we might expect if Liverpool dip into the market for a new No.6 this summer.
Mac Allister scored four goals and had five assists in that series with Enda in his side.
Endo has handled the job given to him superbly throughout the 2023/24 season and will almost certainly continue to play a role as Arne Slot looks to fulfill his ambitions with this side.
But it’s hard to argue that Mac Allister’s game and technical ability wouldn’t be best utilized as a midfielder in this next era of the football club.
What next under Sloto?
The rare moments in which he found himself exposed came almost exclusively when he was protecting the foursome.
Twice he was caught in possession at Villa Park during the last away game of the campaign, both times leading to goals for the hosts.
The 25-year-old faced sporadic struggles when faced with an own goal on the edge of the box, although some would argue that Alisson sometimes did him no favors with his deliveries in tight spaces.
While there’s little dispute that he’s more than capable at No.6, one of Slott’s first priorities could be finding a specialist to allow the Argentine to truly tap into his seemingly limitless potential.
We could see Mac Allister operating in a duo as part of the 4-2-3-1 the Dutchman is known to deploy at Feyenoord, and lining up alongside a more defensively minded colleague could create the best of both worlds.
Two of the game-changers of the Klopp era – Virgil van Dijk and Alisson – stood up and were counted again during the manager’s farewell lap around the sun, providing strong competition for the title of Reds man in charge in 2023/24.
I give it to Mac Allister, mainly because with and without easing into the position he was consistency personified at a time when many others experienced various ups and downs in terms of their own form.
The sky is the limit for the man who already has football’s biggest award on his mantle, let’s see what he and Arne have in store for each other.
Best moment: Scored Liverpool’s goal of the season at home against Fulham.
Worst moment: Incorrect red card against Bournemouth on his Anfield debut.
Next season’s role The name of the first midfielder on the team list.
