'Several times': National media suggest £35m Liverpool player flourished in a new role for his country
Today at 02:30 AM
Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister started for Argentina as they secured a 1-0 win against Peru in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
After their shock 2-1 loss to Paraguay, Lionel Scaloni’s side returned to winning ways to finish 2024 as Lautaro Martinez scored the solitary goal of the game.
The reigning world champions were relatively untroubled in a game that didn’t have too many talking points, but Mac Allister appeared to play a new role for the national team.
And the Argentine media took notice of what appeared to be a subtle change to his dynamic midfield role.
Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister shows attacking instincts vs Peru
Mac Allister endured a lacklustre showing vs Paraguay and failed to make his presence felt in the 2-1 defeat.
However, the game against Peru turned out to be a good one for the Liverpool midfielder, who was once again chosen to start in the centre of the park alongside Enzo Fernandez and Rodrigo de Paul.
With Lionel Messi stationed in a free role behind Martinez and Julian Alvarez, Argentina looked good going forward and scored a fantastic goal through the Inter Milan man.
Despite having enough bodies in attack, Mac Allister was seen bombing forward and came close to scoring on a handful of occasions.
TyC Sports gave the Liverpool midfielder a rating of 6/10, saying: “He was the one who was most likely to be on the verge of scoring. He appeared several times as a third striker. He suffered a foul from Zambrano.”
Mac Allister’s stats vs Peru
- 57 touches
- 39/44 passes completed (89% accuracy)
- 3 times fouled
- 2/2 long balls completed
- 2 shots off target
- 1 big chance missed
The underlying numbers appear to suggest Mac Allister was involved in attack a lot more than usual, which is a clear sign that Scaloni thinks he can make an impact in the final third.
The £35m Liverpool midfielder has been quite good under Arne Slot so far this season and is undoubtedly a key player for the club.
His recent showing is unlikely to have slipped the Dutchman’s eye thanks to his incredible attention to detail, so can we see Macca in a more advanced role during the festive run-in?
