Alexis Mac Allister struggled against his former team in an unnatural role, prompting Liverpool supporters to criticize Jurgen Klopp for “wasting” the midfielder.
Klopp made six changes from the team that faced Union SG in midweek, but he pulled a surprise by leaving Wataru Endo out of his starting lineup. The Japanese player had been substituted at halftime in the Europa League as one of three pre-planned substitutions.
Szoboszlai in the advanced midfield positions, and Mac Allister was once more used as the No. 6 position.
The deep-lying midfielder who cost Brighton £35 million in the summer struggled under the pressure and was frequently exposed as the last man in front of the defense, including for Simon Adingra’s opening goal.
In spite of this, Klopp continued to play the Argentine the entire game, with Endo being inactive in the resulting 2-2 tie on the south coast.
Fans were upset by his decisions and wondered why a first-choice No. 6 was not purchased in the summer if Endo cannot be trusted in important games.
Due to Curtis Jones serving the first of a three-match suspension on Sunday and Ryan Gravenberch having played 79 minutes three days prior, Klopp’s options were somewhat limited.
However, there is some uncertainty around the Endo situation, as the manager all but confirmed following the 2-0 victory over Union SG that he would be kept in the lineup for the weekend.
As he struggled to catch up, Mac Allister was instead forced to stumble against his former team, the disappointment sometimes written on his face.
