Image Credits: Imago Images
Alexis Mac Allister has opened up about his fitness struggles this season at Liverpool.
The 26-year-old has been unable to hit the heights he reached last campaign, following a disrupted summer caused by injury.
Managed carefully towards the end of last season, Mac Allister then endured a compromised pre-season, prompting Arne Slot to repeatedly urge patience regarding his form and availability.
However, Mac Allister has now completed 90 minutes in three consecutive matches for the first time since April.
Speaking after the win over West Ham, the Argentina international addressed the ongoing discussion around his condition.
Mac Allister believes the concerns over his fitness have been exaggerated, suggesting the debate has intensified purely because of Liverpool’s poor run of results over the past two months rather than any major physical issue.
Mac Allister said: “I feel there was a lot of talking about me and how I feel physically.
“To be completely honest, it’s been a long time that I feel good and I know that when you lose people are going to keep talking and talking and talking.
“But it is completely fine. I feel good mentally and physically.
“So I just need to show it.”
Alexander Isak, a £125m signing from Newcastle United, scored his first Premier League goal for Liverpool at the London Stadium before Cody Gakpo sealed a 2-0 win over West Ham in stoppage time.
Alexis Mac Allister said he was pleased to see Isak open his account as the victory lifted Liverpool into the top half of the table.
“Yeah, I am really happy for him,” Mac Allister said. “I think he’s an amazing player, we all know that.
“I was joking with him because he doesn’t even smile when he scores!
“I’m really happy because he deserves it, the same for Florian (Wirtz). I think he played a really good game. He played really good. So it’s important that they’re getting to their level.
“Alex is very quiet. He likes to be on his own sometimes. You can see that I just try to speak to him because his Spanish is quite good as well.
“But yeah, he’s a quiet guy and we are all happy to have him here.
“We always said it, even last season, that the group is really good. There is a lot of positivity, but again, it’s a tough situation so we understand that people are going to say things, but for us it’s exactly the same.
“We just want to win games, play the football that we know and hopefully the situation in a couple of weeks is going to be different. “It’s always important to win, especially in the moment we are in.
“But yeah, this doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a win. And now we have to focus on Wednesday.
“Hopefully [the win is a boost]. That’s the idea. But to be completely honest, I think today we didn’t see the team that we really want to be.
“I think we can do much more, especially defensively. But yeah, we need to keep working and now the focus is on Wednesday and hopefully we can get a win at home.”
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