Klopp explains Mac Allister’s reaction to the switch after a ‘difficult’ half
Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp opens the Premier League with a 3-1 away win against Wolves.
Jurgen Klopp believes Alexis Mac Allister has been relieved after a nightmare first half at Wolves after praising Liverpool debutant Jarell Quansah’s “statement”.
Mac Allister, who only returned to training on Friday after Argentina’s performance in their recent World Cup qualifiers, was very unreliable and the early booking made it even more difficult. The summer signing was replaced at half-time by Luis Diaz with the Reds 1–0 down and the ensuing system change allowed the visitors to recover and win 3–1.
And when asked about Mac Allister’s substitution, Klopp said: “He was finished. A yellow card and he was already out in the first half. We know how good Alexis is, in the first half of his decision making… we saw during the week when he had the oxygen mask on, I thought a few times (in the first half) I should have left it. a little longer – that might have helped!
“It was just difficult. When you play in a game like this, it’s quite likely that you’ll come a little too late to the challenge and then you’ll get another yellow and that’s it. That’s it. He had some good moments. early on. But he had other moments, and they showed. He wasn’t really disappointed when we took him out. I think he was relieved.”
With Virgil van Dijk’s suspended Ibrahima Konate only fit to work on the bench and Joe Gomez having to cover on the right for the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold, 20-year-old Quansah was handed his first Liverpool start alongside Joel Matip in the middle. back
And Klopp said: “He did well. He did very well, he was very good. It was a great experience for him. He came up (in the past) in very crucial moments and didn’t get into close games. We had to do something there and he was good today. “In a team as disorganized as we were in the first half, he looked good. It’s a statement, for sure. I am very happy for him. He is also quite happy at the moment. He’s a good boy.”