Jurgen Klopp has said that Alexis Mac Allister can ‘definitely’ play in a deeper lying midfield role, following Liverpool’s 3-1 pre-season win over Darmstadt on Monday.
The Reds ran out winners at Deepdale thanks to early goals from Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota, while Luis Diaz added a third in the second half after the German side had pulled one back.
Mac Allister was used as Liverpool’s deepest-lying midfielder in the absence of other options, as Klopp opted for a very attacking midfield that also featured Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo.
Speaking after the game, Klopp insisted the £35m Argentine can play in the ‘number six’ role for Liverpool this season, but suggested he would only do as part of a double pivot, rather than as a lone holding midfielder.
Klopp said, via Liverpoolfc.com: “He’s a top-class player; on the ball [and] without the ball. We had our moments where we were a bit too open, that’s clear, but we are not used to it. That’s why I said we had to work on it. We will do that. We have to try it and test a couple of different things.
Yes, in a compact formation, Alexis can play there, definitely. If he’s there alone, should he play there? No. But now he showed just how good a footballer he is and how good he understands the game because he played here now [for] the first time for us at least and he did really well.”
Regarding how exactly Liverpool line up this Sunday for the trip to Chelsea, Klopp suggested he is still looking for solutions – adding that the tactical set up for the trip to Stamford Bridge may not be indicative of how the Reds play throughout the season.
“With the physical state I am really happy, we looked really fresh, looked really good – now, in the next five or six days, we have to find a formation for the Chelsea game, not for the whole season, and then we go from there,” he said.
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“All OK, nobody got injured, so that’s the most important thing. We came through so far OK and that’s good.”
Liverpool remain in the market for further midfield additions, with the first-team squad very light on experienced operators in the defensive roles.
Neither Thiago nor Stefan Bajcetic played any part in the friendly with Darmstadt, though both have now returned to full team training. Curtis Jones made a second-half cameo, as did youngster James McConnell.
Liverpool’s other potential contender to play in the ‘number six’ position is 20-year-old Tyler Morton, who is still recovering from a broken foot.
