There’s a bit of a pile-on that happens with certain Liverpool players, and Alexis Mac Allister feels like he’s been on the sharp end of it this season. Not because he’s been brilliant every week, he hasn’t. More because people seem to judge midfielders like they’re wingers now: if the goals and assists aren’t there, they must be playing badly.
Last night, I actually thought Macca was very good. Not in a headline, look-at-me way. In a “keep us ticking when it’s getting messy” way. Tidy touches, sensible choices, and a bit of calm when the game needed it. Those players matter, even when they’re not the ones getting clipped up for social media.
He’s a knitter, not a sprinter
Truth is, Macca’s more of a knitter than a driver. He links phases together, gives you angles, keeps the ball moving so you can get set again. When Liverpool are in rhythm, that sort of midfielder looks smooth. When we’re not, it can look like he’s “doing nothing”, when really he’s just not built to be everywhere at once.
That’s why I’m not keen on him being asked to drive forward more and cover acres behind it. It drags him away from the stuff he does best, and it puts his limitations under a spotlight. He hasn’t got endless legs for all the dirty work, and if you ask him to play like he has, you’re basically setting him up to look worse than he is.
Some players are better in the flesh
I’m not at Anfield every other week, so I’m not pretending I’ve got the full picture. Getting over from Ireland is a mission at times, especially with tickets. But I do manage three or four games a season, and it’s funny how often Macca looks superior in the ground compared to on the telly.
On TV you follow the ball. In the stadium you see the little five-yard moves, the checks of the shoulder, the constant offering for a pass. That’s where a player like him lives. If you’ve already decided he’s the problem, you’ll miss it. And that’s the wider issue: fans make their mind up, and then it’s set in stone.
Second-half improvement, but breaking Arsenal down is horrible
The first half hour had me with my head in my hands, honestly. It looked anxious, rushed, a bit short on ideas. But the improvement after that was clear, and midfield control was a big part of it. Gravenberch looked better too, more like the version people hoped we were getting.
Would I have liked us to turn the key a bit more? Yeah. But Arsenal are a tough side to prise open, and without a proper striker you can end up with plenty of decent work and not enough end product. That doesn’t make Macca flawless. It just means the hate is well over the top.
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