Alexis Mac Allister has called for a mentality shift at Liverpool as the Reds prepare to begin their Champions League campaign and continue adapting to life under Andoni Iraola
Alexis Mac Allister of Liverpool laughs during the training session on day ahead of the UEFA Champions League match against Atletico Madrid
Alexis Mac Allister has pinpointed where Liverpool need to improve this season(Image: Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister believes the team must improve its mentality under head coach Andoni Iraola this season.
It's been a challenging 12 months for the Reds after they backed up their Premier League title-winning campaign under Arne Slot with a disappointing season in 2025/26. They just about scraped into the Champions League places with a fifth-place finish, but there was a string of underwhelming results and performances that turned fan sentiment against the Dutchman.
The club's hierarchy opted to make the change in the summer and parted ways with Slot before replacing him with former Bournemouth boss Iraola. The Spaniard's Cherries side was known for its high-intensity style of football, and last season saw the south coast club qualify for European competition for the first time in its history.
Now, Liverpool is in the early stages of a new era under Iraola. Once again, there's been a turnover of players, with Ibrahima Konate, Curtis Jones, and Mohamed Salah the latest title winners to depart. Mac Allister is one of the few who remain, but the Argentina international insists there must be a mentality shift among the playing squad if it is to reap the rewards under Iraola.
“It’s a mentality thing,” he said in an interview with TNT Sports ahead of the Champions League tie against Atletico Madrid. “We need to improve in that sense.
“We have very experienced players, quality players that know how it works. Now it’s just a matter of putting everything together and showing the world what we can do.
“Mentality is understanding that we need to be focused 100 percent in every single game, and for the whole game. It’s up to us to show we can do it.”
Alexis Mac Allister of Liverpool warms up before a Premier League match
Mac Allister of Liverpool warms up before a Premier League match(Image: Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Wednesday night's visit of Atletico will be the first big test of the new season under Iraola. Liverpool is currently unbeaten but has won one and drawn two of its first three Premier League matches.
Now, the attention shifts to the start of its European campaign, with a repeat of last season's Champions League opener as the La Liga side returns to Anfield for the second year in a row. On that occasion, under Slot, Liverpool stormed into a two-goal lead inside six minutes but was pegged back to 2-2 by the 81st minute.
That night, it took a last-gasp winner from captain Virgil van Dijk to secure all three points and was arguably an early warning sign that the team was struggling to hold onto its leads. This season, Liverpool's issue has seemingly been the opposite, with the Reds conceding first in two of their three games so far but showing the resilience to take at least a point from both.
There was a more positive display against newly promoted Ipswich Town last Friday night as a brace from Alexander Isak and a crucial clean sheet afforded Liverpool its first three points. Now, it's a case of putting the mentality Mac Allister believes the team needs to the test on the European stage.