Breaking : Alexis Mac Allister – How Liverpool’s multi-talented midfielder can break the Brighton curse and prove himself a bargain buy as he returns to the Amex

He looked a little lost at times in the opening-day draw at Chelsea, but that was nothing compared to his struggles in the come-from-behind win at Wolves, with Mac Allister withdrawn at half-time.

In both instances, though, there were mitigating circumstances. The game at Stamford Bridge wasn’t just a first competitive start for Mac Allister, making a certain degree of discomfort in a new team arguably inevitable, he was also done no favours from a defensive perspective by the selection of forward Cody Gakpo in a horribly unbalanced midfield.

At Molineux, meanwhile, Mac Allister was clearly suffering the ill-effects of a gruelling international break, which Klopp, to his credit, quickly recognised during the first half before flagging immediately after the game to spare the much-vaunted summer signing from a media-bashing.

• Endo a better option at No.6?

  Still, the feeling at Anfield on Thursday night was that Endo Wataru was withdrawn at half-time because he had already done enough during the opening 45 minutes to secure his place in the starting line-up for the game at Brighton.

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  The Japan international has taken a little time to get up to speed – which is wholly understandable, given he joined from Stuttgart after the season had started, coupled with the difficulty involved in getting to grips with the many responsibilities of a defensive midfielder in a Klopp team.

  Endo, though, has shown clear signs of improvement and, as the only fully fit specialist ‘six’ in the squad, there is a lot to be said for starting the 30-year-old ‘Dual King’ at a ground where Liverpool were twice over-run last season.

  There is, therefore, an opportunity to play Mac Allister in the more advanced role that his father prefers, the fluid, left-sided No.10 role he fulfilled so effectively for Argentina at Qatar 2022.

• A shame Caicedo didn’t follow Mac Allister

  Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi argued that Mac Allister was such an intelligent footballer – “He understands the game before he gets the ball” – that he “can play anywhere”, admitting that he particularly enjoyed deploying the 24-year-old in a “deeper” position because of his playmaking qualities.

  However, if he were to be given such a role at Anfield, he would clearly need a ball-winner alongside him, which is why it’s such a shame for both Mac Allister – and arguably Moises Caicedo – that the Ecuadorian elected to move to Chelsea rather than follow his former Brighton team-mate to Liverpool.

  It has even been argued that both players will struggle to replicate their Amex form in their new homes because Brighton is such a special environment. The belief is that it’s both the set-up and the system that allows young talents and previously unheralded journeymen to flourish on the south coast – and that once a player moves elsewhere, often for a colossal amount of money, they look like a fish out of water.

  Certainly, some players have struggled after leaving, including Neal Maupay. Leandro Trossard is also only playing regularly for Arsenal right now because of an injury to Gabriel Martinelli, while it’s taken Yves Bissouma more than a year to start showing why Spurs signed him from Brighton last year for £30m ($36m).

Far from flawless but full of promise

Mac Allister, though, is unlikely to take so long to prove himself the bargain buy that we all expected him to be.

He’s not had a flawless start – far from it, in fact. His dismissal against Bournemouth may have been overturned but the challenge that resulted in a straight red was undeniably reckless and indicative of Mac Allister’s propensity for getting himself into trouble. He’s already committed 13 fouls this season (Declan Rice has four to his name by way of comparison) and picked up three yellow cards in the process. In that sense, he certainly needs to play with greater discipline.

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However, it’s already abundantly clear what he can bring to this Liverpool side, particularly in that hybrid No.8/No.10 role. He specialises in winning duels: he’s already won more than anyone else at Liverpool this season, while nobody has made more successful tackles, and only Szoboszlai and Andy Robertson rank above him for possession gained.

• Brighton to bring the best out of Mac Allister?

  So, if Mac Allister is allowed to do his thing further forward, it will only benefit the likes of Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota, who has already been extolling the Argentine’s eye for a through-ball.

  There’s also the fact that moving Mac Allister further forward won’t affect his ability to retain possession – he proved that after being moved forward by De Zerbi after the World Cup, and can do so again at Liverpool.

  Indeed, while Mac Allister drew attention for the fact that he finished as Brighton’s top scorer, his numbers were skewed by the fact that he was on penalty duty – only three of his 10 Premier League goals came from open play. There is an obvious need for him to work on his shooting, as De Zerbi was in no doubt that he could end becoming a prolific goalscorer and assister from a more offensive midfield position.

  However, what really stood out about Mac Allister during the second half of last season was the incredible accuracy of his passing despite being deployed in a highly advanced position where losing the ball is far more likely. Only Curtis Jones really maintains possession so well among Liverpool’s current crop of players and he is not as gifted from an offensive perspective as Mac Allister – and can’t play this weekend anyway.

  A return to the Amex, then, could prove a hugely significant moment in Mac Allister’s fledgling Anfield career. Brighton really might once again bring the best out of him – only this time in a Liverpool shirt.

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