Alexis Mac Allister has opened up about his feelings on Liverpool’s season, calling it “weird” to only be in contention for the Premier League crown at this point of the season. He reckons though that, with the backing of the Anfield faithful, Liverpool could be well-positioned to clinch their 20th title.
Arne Slot’s team is set to host West Ham United on Sunday, knowing they are just a whisker away — a maximum of 11 points from their final seven games — from mathematically confirming their superiority over close rivals Arsenal.
Once eyeing a quad-trophy haul, Liverpool’s season took a nosedive following an unexpected FA Cup tumble at Plymouth Argyle’s hands in February, a Champions League farewell against Paris Saint-Germain last month, and a gut-wrenching League Cup final defeat by Newcastle United.
Mac Allister, who found the net during the weekend defeat at Fulham, has touched on the unaccustomed gap in Liverpool’s usually bustling fixture list, noting a lack of midweek action until the next term kicks off.
“It does feel weird, to be honest,” the midfielder reflected. “We didn’t want to be in this position because that means you’re not playing Champions League or another cup. But it is what it is.”
Anticipating the perks of a clear schedule, Mac Allister added: “I think this week will help to train the things that we’ve done wrong, especially in the last game, and get prepared for the next one.
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“You can especially prepare in a better way physically because you have the time to rest and train. It was a really good week, so hopefully we can show what we are working on and we can get the three points.
“We have the mentality and the group to get up and go again on Sunday.”
Mac Allister’s wonder strike at Craven Cottage was his sixth of the season, putting him just one behind his tally for last term.
“I don’t set any targets before the season,” said the Argentina international. “But I really like getting goals and assists and I feel like I can do it more often. It’s really nice to score but at the same time I know I have maybe other things to do.
“I would love to score more and assist more but I’m really happy with the way I’m helping the team as well.”
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Four of Liverpool’s final seven games – which are all scheduled for a Sunday – are at Anfield, starting with the clash against a Hammers side managed by Mac Allister’s former boss at Brighton, Graham Potter.
And when asked by liverpoolfc.com about the importance of the home support, he said: “That’s really clear, they know it and they will make it special, like always. We expect them to be behind us in these upcoming games because the pressure is there and if we are all together it’s going to be easier.
“West Ham is a team that has a lot of good players and now that they’ve changed the manager, they’re a completely different team. I know Graham Potter very well, so I know how his team wants to play. We expect a really tough game and hopefully we can get the three points.”
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can read the original story in the Liverpool ECHO by clicking here.
