Liverpool have surprised more than a few with their sustained title-worthy performances, but Arne Slot’s side aren’t likely to be one-season wonders
The Premier League title is within touching distance now that Arsenal have flaked away, trailing 13 points behind the Anfield side with less than three months to go (having played a game less).
It’s been a defining few weeks for Liverpool, who met a gruelling run of fixtures with purpose, emerging with 11 points from 15
Injury-hit Arsenal couldn’t keep up, not when the tireless Dominik Szoboszlai has been supercharging the Red engine.
Dominik Szoboszlai’s brilliant form
Regarded for his energy and athleticism, Szoboszlai’s middling output in front of goal has been the bane of his Liverpool career since joining from RB Leipzig for £60m in July 2023
However, the Hungary skipper has found his Midas touch over the past several weeks, with Fabrizio Romano praising him for being “unstoppable” in front of goal recently.
Uncontainable in the attacking section of Slot’s midfield, Szoboszlai brings an all-encompassing sheen that has been so important in breaking free of Arsenal, and he’s now starting to look like one of the division’s finest
However, the 23-year-old has still got work to do if he is to become Liverpool’s best midfielder, since there’s another at Anfield who’s been more consistent across the duration of the campaign, and in fairness, throughout their respective careers at the club
Szoboszlai is still not Liverpool’s best CM
Szoboszlai’s success is built on the stability from his deeper-lying midfield partners.
Ryan Gravenberch is probably going to take home a load of most-improved accolades at the end of the season, for he has eclipsed the level he played at last season, when he only started 12 top-flight fixtures
However, it’s Alexis Mac Allister who stands as Merseyside’s prized centre-midfielder, not always taking home the loudest plaudits but playing an indispensable role in the high-flying system
Liverpool signed the 2022 World Cup winner from Premier League rivals Brighton & Hove Albion for a £35m fee in 2023, making a statement on their intent in rebuilding Jurgen Klopp’s industrious midfield.
Below you can see Mac Allister’s seasonal metrics across both Premier League campaigns at Liverpool. At a glance, it seems like he’s regressed across the board, but this isn’t the case.
Indeed, Slot has slowed things down, calmed the storm that raged unabatingly under Klopp’s wing. He’s a better player for it, dictating play with crisp and well-thought-out decisions.
Last season, Joe Cole described Mac Allister as a “superstar” who can “play anywhere”, such is the midfielder’s intelligence and protean technical ability
He’s settled into a mechanical and combative role in Slot’s system, and it’s working a treat. Gravenberch might be silkier and Szoboszlai is stealing more headlines at the moment due to his advanced placement, but Mac Allister makes things tick.
Is it any wonder CIES Football Observatory, the world’s leading football statisticians, have even marked Mac Allister’s current price tag at £74m, which is a whopping rise from the fee Liverpool paid Brighton – an 111% increase
An assured metronome, Liverpool have hit the jackpot on this wonderful player, whose impact on the midfield may just reward him with a Premier League title in his second season