Alexis Mac Allister has been a mainstay for Argentina at the World Cup, displaying the aggressiveness and desire that was missing at Liverpool last season.
We can be honest, it was a struggle for the No. 10 last year, not that it was an isolated theme.
It was concerning, though, how quickly the 27-year-old declined into a sluggish and heavy-legged midfielder whose defensive contributions plummeted.
The combative, creative player first signed from Brighton was missing, and in his place emerged a concern that Liverpool had seen his best days come and go.
Yet, watching him at the World Cup leads you to believe not all is lost, that he still has quality to offer and can be the player Andoni Iraola will want him to be.
There will remain concerns that fatigue will follow him in 2026/27 after playing the most minutes of any outfielder for Argentina this summer, but his performances have at least helped change the narrative.
The slump: What went wrong last season
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - Saturday, April 4, 2026: Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister looks dejected after the FA Cup Quarter Final match between Manchester City FC and Liverpool FC at the City of Manchester Stadium. Manchester City won 4-0. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - Saturday, April 4, 2026: Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister looks dejected after the FA Cup Quarter Final match between Manchester City FC and Liverpool FC at the City of Manchester Stadium. Manchester City won 4-0. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
The 27-year-old started last season with fitness issues hanging over his head stemming back to the end of the title-winning campaign, and he never quite recovered.
Last season, Mac Allister’s defensive contributions in the Premier League rose from 5.25 per 90 in 2024/25 to 7.78 per 90, but he became less effective and far too easy for the opposition to bypass.
As per FotMob, he went from making 3.28 tackles per 90 and an average of 5.11 recoveries in Arne Slot‘s first season to 1.79 tackles and 3.79 recoveries per 90.
That marks a drop of 58.7 percent and 29.6 percent, respectively.
Mac Allister remained central to Slot’s plans despite his sharp dip in form, but even a drop in the number of successful dribbles, from 0.55 to 0.37 per 90, showed a player incapable of progressing the ball.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, May 9, 2026: Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister is challenged by Chelsea's Andrey Santos (R) during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, May 9, 2026: Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister is challenged by Chelsea's Andrey Santos (R) during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
You could go on and on, from a drop in the number of duels won to a rise in how often he was dispossessed, to showcase the struggles Mac Allister faced.
Understandably, it raised questions over his immediate future and whether he could handle the level of intensity Iraola will now inject after taking over.
But now many will be asking whether he was saving himself for the World Cup after showing renewed energy and impetus in Argentina’s midfield.
A World Cup revival
Argentina's Alexis Mac Allister during a training session at Atlanta United Training Centre, Georgia. England will face Argentina in their FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final match on Wednesday. Picture date: Tuesday July 14, 2026.
Argentina's Alexis Mac Allister during a training session at Atlanta United Training Centre, Georgia. England will face Argentina in their FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final match on Wednesday. Picture date: Tuesday July 14, 2026.
Mac Allister, perhaps, answered that question himself after progressing to the final with a late win over England in the semi-final.
“I love my country and my national team – I always give my all for them, and that wasn’t going to change,” he said when speaking to DSports.
“Of course, the respect is always there, because I was welcomed so well [in England], but as I said before, the most important thing to me is my national team and my country.”
For his country, at the time of writing before the final, he ranks in the top 24 percent for tackles per 90 (2.72) compared to players in his position, and the top 28 percent for interceptions (1.43).
3ETF1B8 Alexis Mac Allister of Argentina during the FIFA World Cup Group J match between Argentina and Austria at Dallas Stadium, Dallas on Monday 22nd June 2026. (Photo: Pat Isaacs | MI News) Credit: MI News & Sport /Alamy Live News
3ETF1B8 Alexis Mac Allister of Argentina during the FIFA World Cup Group J match between Argentina and Austria at Dallas Stadium, Dallas on Monday 22nd June 2026. (Photo: Pat Isaacs | MI News) Credit: MI News & Sport /Alamy Live News
He is making late runs into the box and proving a danger on set pieces, with 1.29 headed shots per 90, placing him in the top one percent.
Mac Allister has helped keep Argentina ticking, and he has not been saving himself, rather proving he can still be relied on to perform his natural box-to-box duties at a high level.
It is not to say he has been perfect, having still been dribbled past 1.43 times per 90, an increase on his 1.35 average at Liverpool last season.
But his proactiveness to recover has helped make up for his shortcomings, which was a criticism last season that he was too quick to drop his head and not make up for a mistake.
Lionel Scaloni feeds into the confidence Mac Allister displays with his country, and now Iraola needs to find a way to tap into that as he oversees a significant mentality shift in Liverpool’s midfield.
Mac Allister gives hope to Liverpool
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, May 24, 2026: Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister ties his boot lace before the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Brentford FC at Anfield. The game ended in a 1-1 draw. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, May 24, 2026: Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister ties his boot lace before the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Brentford FC at Anfield. The game ended in a 1-1 draw. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
For Liverpool, the World Cup has helped change the narrative heading into the new campaign under Iraola.
Mac Allister’s form for his country proves that last year’s slump is not a permanent decline and that he has energy and stamina to sustain another season at a high level.
The Reds’ midfield cannot carry passengers under the new head coach, and with Mac Allister showing he still has the legs to perform every few days, there can be no excuses.
And Milos Kerkez has already put out an early warning of just that, saying of Iraola: “He lets you know straightforward what he wants from you, then it’s up to you to do it.
“I mean, if you don’t do it, you’re not playing, simple as that.”
It is a reminder of the reality that awaits Mac Allister upon his return from the World Cup, with no room for sluggishness or half-measures.
The 27-year-old has shown this summer what he remains capable of; now it is up to him to apply the same mentality and prove he can be a key cog for Iraola, and perhaps have the club questioning why contract talks beyond 2028 have not started.
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KIRKBY, ENGLAND - Thursday, May 14, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Andoni Iraola poses for an official photocall ahead of his first press conference at the AXA Training Centre. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
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