Alexis Mac Allister insists he has no issue with his No. 6 role at Liverpool, while Jurgen Klopp praised him for overcoming a “really tricky” mistake.
The use of Mac Allister as the deepest-sitting midfielder has come under scrutiny after the 2-2 draw at Brighton, which saw him struggle.
A natural No. 8, and viewed as the perfect fit on the left-hand side with Dominik Szoboszlai as his foil, the £35 million signing is instead required to shield the defence.
At the AMEX on Sunday, Mac Allister was caught out for an embarrassing opening goal through Simon Adingra, with Virgil van Dijk‘s pass leaving him short and the Brighton winger snatching in to beat Alisson from range.
But speaking to LFCTV after the game, the 24-year-old was asked about his role and replied: “I like it.”
“I’ve said it many times, for me it’s easy to say ‘it’s not my position and I do the best I can’, but it’s not like that,” he continued.
“Jurgen is playing me there, is giving me his support and I try to do the best I can.
“I think I improved a lot in the last couple of years, defensively, and I think it’s a job I can do well.
“So I feel good, I feel that my team-mates and the coaching staff are supporting me. That’s the most important thing.”
In his post-match interview with Sky Sports, Van Dijk attributed the goal to a miscommunication, saying “it’s not only him, it is me as well.”
But the frustration was clear on Mac Allister’s face as he floundered early on against his former side, with a number of sloppy fouls indicative of this.
The Argentina international did improve, though, and ended the game having made at least twice as many interceptions as any other player (six) and more recoveries (10) than all but Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen (12).
He also made the joint-most passes into the final third (eight) and came away with the joint-highest passing accuracy (93%), per FotMob.
“I think Macca, especially the second half, played a super game,” Klopp told Sky Sports.
“[He] really found himself back into the game, which is really tricky after such a mistake – at your old club, nobody wants to have that situation!”
