Something is clearly not right with 'brilliant' player this season and it's really harming Liverpool - opinion
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Alexis Mac Allister has struggled with form this season for Liverpool.The Argentine was one of the Reds’ best players last season, helping them win the Premier League title with some impressive performances in the middle of the park to give his side much-needed energy and creativity.When he signed for the club during Jurgen Klopp’s tenure from Brighton and Hove Albion for £35 million, it was great business by the club, considering he was coming off a World Cup-winning year with Argentina.However, this season has been a very different story for Mac Allister, who has clearly been dealing with fitness issues that have either left him on the bench or unable to perform to the best of his abilities.Photo by Julian Finney/Getty ImagesThere has been a noticeable drop in quality from the 26-year-old, with even Paul Scholes saying how the ‘brilliant’ player has not been good this season after his performances in the opening games of the season.Alexis Mac Allister has lost the majority of his duels this seasonThese issues with fitness and his displays on the pitch have come to a head during Liverpool’s loss to Crystal Palace at the weekend, where Arne Slot’s team were beaten 2-1 in the last minute by the home side.Individual performances from the likes of Ibrahima Konate, Milos Kerkez, and Mohamed Salah stood out as quite poor, given each of the names’ clear qualities on the pitch.READ MORE: Alexis Mac Allister claims Liverpool had a player who was like Lionel Messi in trainingHowever, the Argentinian midfielder, who started the game, also struggled to have any influence, whether that was going forward or stringing passes together to make a creative move.It may not be the fairest performance to judge him on, as the team performed badly as a collective, but it was indicative of his form, and one statistic proves this.This season, Mac Allister has only won nine out of his 21 ground duels, which is very unlike the player from last season who was strong on the ball and was able to push forward without much hassle from the opposition.📊 Alexis Mac Allister has won just 9 of his 21 attempted ground duels in the Premier League this season. He was world-class last season but feel like he’s struggling with injuries at the moment.
A bit of time on the bench might do him good to rehabilitate properly. pic.twitter.com/DXJQz7iKpI— Bence Bocsák (@BenBocsak) September 28, 2025 View Tweet His fitness levels have been a concern for most of the season, so it may be a good idea for Slot to bench the player for the next two matches just to prevent him from depleting any more.It would be a good idea to do especially with the upcoming international break, where he is highly unlikely to be dropped by Argentina.Liverpool need to work out their best No. 10The team as a whole has been disjointed because of the changes across the board, but the midfield has been the standout area for consistency with Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai.However, the No.
10 role has been the one position that has been lacking because Florian Wirtz has struggled since joining, and Mac Allister’s fitness.This is one of the key roles which does need to be sorted out fairly quickly because if they find their best No. 10, it will be an opportunity for the rest of the team to increase output and consistency.Wirtz, even if he has struggled, will come good in the end, but it will take time, and when he is up to speed, he may be in a prime position to take the role and flourish.