Mac Allister, Slot and the Bias Factor

I’ll hold my hands up: I didn’t want Liverpool signing Alexis Mac Allister in the first place. At Brighton, I just didn’t see it. Not in a “bad player” way, more in a “where’s the lad who runs games for us?” way. And then last season happened and he happily made me look daft.

He was one of our better players for long stretches. Reliable, clever in tight areas, and willing to do the ugly bits as well as the nice ones. That’s why the anger this season has felt a bit overcooked at times. He has been off form, no getting away from it, but he’s far from alone in that.

Arsenal was a step back towards the real Macca

What’s confusing is that, against Arsenal, I actually thought he did well. Particularly second half. He started to look more like the Mac Allister we saw last year: sharper touches, better decisions, more awareness of what’s around him. Not perfection, not a one-man midfield clinic, but a proper improvement.

So when you see him put in arguably his best game of the season and still get piled into, you do start to wonder what people are watching. Or maybe it’s not about the performance in front of them at all.

Fans don’t just judge performances, we judge players

Truth is, we all carry biases. Some players get patience, others get seconds. We decide early on whether we “like” someone, and then every mistake becomes evidence. I’ve been guilty of it myself. When Thiago was here, I couldn’t take to him, and I’m sure I looked for the loose passes more than I enjoyed the good bits. That’s not analysis, that’s confirmation.

It feels like Mac Allister has landed in that category for some. And when a player’s in that box, nothing they do is ever quite good enough. They can play well and it becomes, “yeah but…”

Slot’s getting the same treatment

There’s a similar vibe around Arne Slot right now. Every comment gets dissected, every team selection becomes a moral failing, every tactical tweak is treated like he’s deliberately trying to annoy everyone. I’m not saying you can’t criticise him. If you think the season’s been poor, say it. I’m not fully sold either.

But if Liverpool put in a much better performance against a top side like Arsenal, then he deserves credit for that. Or at the very least, a breather from the constant nit-picking. You can’t demand improvement and then ignore it when it turns up.

We weren’t perfect, but we were better. And if that’s the start of a lift in confidence, we’ll take it. The second half of the season doesn’t need to be flawless. It just needs to be smarter, steadier, and a bit more like ourselves.

Written by Sean Dundee: 17 January 2026