When former center-back Jamie Carragher commented that "Liverpool lacks fitness to compete in the Premier League", he did not target any individual. However, in the 2-3 defeat to Manchester United, Alexis Mac Allister seemed to partly reflect that comment clearly.
The Argentine midfielder may feel unlucky when his three relatively small mistakes all paid a heavy price. In the situation leading to Man United's opening goal, Mac Allister turned his back when Matheus Cunha finished, causing the ball to hit him, change direction and go into the low corner of the goal.
After the match, coach Arne Slot shared: "We did not concede in the second goal due to a hand touch. We lost the ball in a too dangerous position". Once again, Mac Allister was the one who made a mistake with a careless pass, creating conditions for the opponent to organize the ball leading to Benjamin Sesko's goal.
Mistakes continued when a missed clearance by Mac Allister opened up an opportunity for Kobbie Mainoo to score the decisive goal. Although he also contributed to Liverpool's equalizing situation with an important ball recovery, his performance at Old Trafford still exposed the problems that had haunted him throughout the season.
It should be affirmed that Mac Allister is still a quality player of Liverpool. He quickly became a beloved factor in his first season under Jurgen Klopp, and also played an important role in the Premier League championship journey under Arne Slot. At the age of 27, this midfielder still has many opportunities to continue to shine in the red shirt.
However, his current form is causing much concern. Part of the reason comes from the tactical arrangement. At Old Trafford, Mac Allister is pulled down to play lower, while Ryan Gravenberch often pushes up to support the attack. This inadvertently creates space for Bruno Fernandes to exploit and help Man United easily organize counter-attacks.
Carragher believes Liverpool is having a big problem in transitioning states: "They cannot resist counter-attacks. In the blink of an eye, they are defeated by speed and strength".
That is also the most worrying thing for Mac Allister. His fitness has shown clear signs of decline, and this is no longer a new issue this season. The average speed and maximum speed of the Argentine midfielder have both decreased compared to the previous two seasons. The pressing ability - which is a strength in his playing style - is also no longer maintaining the intensity as before.
It is possible that tactical changes under Slot have somewhat affected this. However, through what happened on the field, Mac Allister still shows that he is having difficulty meeting the requirements of playing at high intensity.
This season, Mac Allister started for Liverpool more than the total number of matches in the previous two seasons combined. A break may help him regain his best condition, but that is unlikely to happen during the World Cup year. Therefore, The Kop is likely to have to reconsider the midfield structure.
In the early stages of the season, the trio Mac Allister, Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai once brought great success to Slot, especially in the context that the team could not add a true defensive midfielder. However, over time, the limitations of this trio became increasingly apparent, and Mac Allister's performance at Old Trafford is the most typical example.
