What’s going on with Alexis Mac Allister?

If the prevailing view of Alexis Mac Allister is that he has lost his way in Liverpool’s midfield, then his late and limited involvement in the 2-1 defeat by Manchester City did little to dispel it.

The Argentine will be wincing during the debrief at Liverpool’s Kirkby training base this week as his errors that led to both of City’s late goals are shown back to him.

A weak attempt to block Rayan Cherki’s cross into the box for Bernardo Silva’s equalising goal was not as bad as what followed, but still damaging enough. Mac Allister stuck out his right leg and turned his back on the delivery when Liverpool needed someone to face it down and cut it out altogether.

It would be harsh to solely blame him for City’s equaliser, but his role in the build-up to their winner — alongside midfield team-mate Curtis Jones — was more damning.

As the screenshot below shows, Mac Allister and Jones were both caught ball-watching as they allowed Matheus Nunes to run into the box unchallenged.

Nunes was able to collect that simple pass deep in the Liverpool area before Alisson, charging out in an attempt to clear the danger, rashly fouled him to concede a penalty.

The number of individual mistakes leading to goals this season has increased significantly, leaving Liverpool in a battle to finish in the Premier League’s top five, which should ensure Champions League qualification.

The drop-off in midfield is a major factor in Liverpool’s lack of control in games, with Mac Allister’s form the most concerning. How is it that a player so important in the title success of last season is now struggling with the basic principles that used to serve him so well?

Last season, if he wasn’t chipping in with glorious goals or defence-splitting assists, Mac Allister would act as a strong defensive shield who tracked runners, blocked off space, and made crucial interceptions. Alongside Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, he was integral to one of the best midfield systems in the world.

Even head coach Arne Slot was struggling to find new things to say about Mac Allister when he was asked, this time last year, about his importance to the team.

“When I think about Macca, I cannot come up with a poor performance from him all season,” he told reporters in January 2025. “He is so involved in every game we play. He is so important for us defensively as well. There’s a reason why he is a World Cup winner because he shows up when you really need him in terms of his mentality.”

The drop-off, however, has been stark. Mac Allister’s numbers are down significantly in most of his defensive actions this season. He’s making fewer interceptions and tackles, and winning fewer of his other duels. He’s not winning possession high up the pitch as often as last season, either.

As you can see from the figures, his creative output is also lower than last season. Mac Allister hasn’t scored in the Premier League, he is creating fewer chances per game and making fewer progressive passes.

Niggling injuries have not helped since Liverpool became champions as Mac Allister suffered a disruptive summer where he returned later than expected to pre-season training and played catch-up in the months that followed.

“It’s like two or three different things that I’ve been struggling (with) for a couple of months,” he told the club’s official website in July when he was recovering.

He tried to draw a line under those issues further at the end of November when he spoke to reporters after the victory at West Ham United.

“To be completely honest, it’s been a long time since 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,” he said. “I feel good mentally and physically. So I just need to show it.”

Finding that consistent run of form, though, has been difficult. Like the team in general, Mac Allister’s season has felt like a stop-start process.  The feeling that he’s not running as hard or working as effectively out of possession as last season cannot be ignored because what we’re seeing is a version of a player that is bypassed in midfield more frequently than before.

Former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant, who now works as a pundit, called Mac Allister a “passenger” on his X account during the defeat by Manchester City, wondering, “What’s happened to (his) legs?”

In fact, this is one area where the statistics do not back up the eye test. Mac Allister’s average distance covered per game this season (10.98km) is roughly the same as last season (10.95km), and he is recording more sprints (10.23 compared to 9.91). The attitude and application are there, even if key moments like on Sunday suggested otherwise.

If fatigue is actually a factor, then it’s understandable given the amount of football Mac Allister has played in recent years. His position — playing on the left side of central midfield — is demanding and while Mac Allister has no problem playing deep, he feels he’s better suited to operating with a No 6 behind him.

The 27-year-old has already made 39 appearances for club and country this season and has barely had a break in four years. The World Cup and Copa America added to his hectic workload at former club Brighton & Hove Albion, and now Liverpool.

International trips to Argentina are also taxing because of the long distance and short recovery time. In Jurgen Klopp’s final season in charge, Mac Allister was so off the pace after one international break in a game at Wolverhampton Wanderers that he had to be withdrawn at half-time, with Klopp admitting the midfielder was “relieved” by being subbed off.

It may be that Mac Allister just needs a proper rest, although given the World Cup looming this summer, that is unlikely to come this year. Besides, other than Jones, Liverpool are not blessed with multiple midfield options as Slot is reluctant to use both Wataru Endo and Trey Nyoni. Szoboszlai, meanwhile, has covered at right-back due to multiple injuries in the squad.

The absence of key players from last season may also be playing a part in Mac Allister’s struggles. He linked up well with Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez, for example, and was close with both players off the pitch. The introduction of new talent alongside him could help bring the best out of him again, but clearly something has to change after an extended period of inconsistency.

Even now, Mac Allister enjoys a stellar reputation. There is no suggestion that he will not be at the forefront of Argentina’s plans as they seek to defend their World Cup title this summer, and interest from Real Madrid remains, as reported by The Athletic last week.  The Spanish club have admired Mac Allister for some time: Liverpool feared they would try to hijack their deal to sign him from Brighton in June 2023, so they moved quickly to wrap it up.

Whether that adds to any uncertainty over his future remains to be seen. Mac Allister’s contract runs out in 2028, when he will be 29 — the same summer that Gravenberch and Szoboszlai, who also arrived in 2023, see their deals end.

If Liverpool were to choose to sell him, then this summer may be the most financially prudent time to do so — as it was with Diaz in July 2025, when the Colombian, who was then 28, also had two years remaining on his deal.

There is no suggestion that Liverpool are seeking to sell Mac Allister, while the player’s father, Carlos, was quoted by Win Win Sports last week as saying his son is “fully focused on Liverpool and the current season. He’s very happy and very comfortable at the club.”

Finding a way to influence games again is his most important task. Liverpool need the best version of him for the remaining months of the season.