On Tuesday evening in the Champions League, Liverpool were beaten for the third time in 13 months by Paris Saint-Germain. It was Arne Slot’s side’s 17th defeat in all competitions, and confirmation that they will go without silverware this term.
Aggravated by the ankle injury suffered by Hugo Ekitike in the first half – the French striker went down off the ball in agony, and Slot later said that he fears the blow is a “really bad” one.
It is typical of Liverpool’s campaign that this should happen, with the 23-year-old in fine form throughout the year. He has scored 17 goals for his new side after joining from Eintracht Frankfurt for £79m last summer.
But now, Liverpool are without their talisman, and that only means that his struggling teammates need to find some form. In particular, Alexis Mac Allister was poor among the starters.
Alexis Mac Allister is skating on thin ice at Liverpool
For two years, Mac Allister had been immense at Liverpool, but that player hasn’t been found across any of the Merseysiders performances this season. He has been one of the biggest strugglers.
For Ousmane Dembele’s first, killing the tie, the 27-year-old didn’t close the Ballon d’Or winner down, just one example of his uncertainty and sluggishness this season.
The Argentina international’s decline has been almost inexplicable. Though Slot’s man management and tactical acuity have both left much to be desired this year, the boss cannot be blamed for the vanishing act that Mac Allister has completed in the Liverpool centre.
Moreover, Mac Allister is not just struggling for physicality, but creativity and impact in midfield too.
|
Alexis Mac Allister vs PSG |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats |
1st Leg |
2nd Leg |
|
Minutes played |
90′ |
74′ |
|
Goals + Assists |
0 + 0 |
0 + 0 |
|
Touches |
40 |
25 |
|
Accurate passes |
19/23 (83%) |
15/17 (88%) |
|
Chances created |
0 |
0 |
|
Crosses |
0/0 |
0/0 |
|
Possession lost |
7x |
4x |
|
Dribbles |
1/1 |
0/0 |
|
Ball recoveries |
3 |
2 |
|
Tackles + interceptions |
1/2 |
0/1 |
|
Duels won |
5/13 |
3/7 |
|
Fouls |
3 |
1 |
Something will need to change this summer, and if it is determined that a change is best, perhaps he will be sold, along with another high-profile star who was terrible once again in the Champions League.
Liverpool’s high-profile forward needs to be sold
After the PSG defeat, Slot acknowledged that Liverpool may need to sell a few players if they are going to effectively strengthen across various positions this summer.
And so, last summer repeats itself, but in the case of Cody Gakpo, it might be for the best. The Dutchman has been in poor form all season, too one-dimensional and slow. He wasn’t given a starting berth against the Parisians at Anfield, and though he was called onto the pitch for the second half, he did little to stake his case.
After Liverpool’s win over Fulham last weekend, analyst Raj Chohan said that he “moves like a rhinoceros on the wing“, and that argument was corroborated by another poor display here.
Where are Liverpool’s match winners? Where are the show stoppers and mavericks? Gakpo is not one of them, and though he works hard and sometimes scores, he is not doing enough.
In fairness, Gakpo did look bright when he replaced Alexander Isak at half-time, but positivity quickly faded and he reverted to frustrating type, making questionable decisions and slowing down Liverpool attacks.
Gakpo didn’t start the game. He didn’t need to. This was another illustration of the Dutchman’s wretched fortunes in Slot’s second season, far removed from the crisp forward who scored 18 times and provided seven assists too, clicking into the wider attacking craft like bespoke joinery.
That player has scarcely been sighted this season, and it’s probably fair to say that he would not have been drafted in at half-time had Ekitike fallen to injury. Had that happened, fans would have clamoured for the inclusion of Rio Ngumoha, who did impress when called from the bench.
Ngumoha, 17, plays with an X-factor and strength on the ball that almost beggars belief. Despite his inexperience and young age, he has been one of Liverpool’s most influential forwards over the past few months.
He needs more opportunities next term, but his playing time must also be managed, and given that Gakpo has done nothing to show he should reprise a starring role next season, maybe FSG should sell the Netherlands star and sign a replacement who is a little more dynamic.
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