Liverpool Manchester City
Jamie Carragher believes that Saturday’s crucial Premier League encounter between Manchester City and Liverpool will be an “acid test'” for Alexis Mac Allister as a holding midfielder.
The Argentine, who joined Liverpool from Brighton for £35 million in the summer, has primarily played at the base of a newly built midfield.
Mac Allister will have his toughest test as the number six against treble winners and current league leaders Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. In that role, he’s an entirely different style of player than Fabinho.
On the ball, he’ll try to get Liverpool moving by receiving the ball with his back to play and flicking around the corner to the opposite full-back, and basically, he’s part of the build-up that includes the goalkeeper, center-backs really splitting wide, and he comes really deep to get on the ball – and that’s certainly a strength of his.
With the caliber of Manchester City and the players they have surrounding them, as well as how swiftly they can counter attack, he will undoubtedly be asked questions that he hasn’t been asked in a Liverpool shirt before tomorrow.
As a result, this will be a litmus test for him in that job. Explained Carragher.
“Many games, teams facing Liverpool will drop off, giving Mac Allister time on the ball and allowing him to pick his passes.
“But I think Manchester City will be aggressive, they’ll press because they’re at home, they’ll try to get on top of Liverpool, so I think it’s vitally important when he’s receiving the ball, he protects the ball really well but also he’s really aware of what’s around him and he can get his little one touch passes that he likes around the corner and set Liverpool free because it’ll be tough to play out, but we know how both teams will play. Added Carragher.”
