Why Liverpool could never have won the title without Alexis Mac Allister

Liverpool secured their 20th Premier League title in style, demolishing Tottenham at Anfield in a stunning performance.

The day epitomised what Liverpool is about, as a club and a city. From tens of thousands of fans lining the streets hours before kick-off, to the stunning football on display, to the celebrations on and off the field.

And whilst the squad, built by Jurgen Klopp and finessed by Arne Slot, displays all the values of a Liverpool team, one player really encapsulates everything.

Born in Santa Rosa, made for Liverpool: Alexis Mac Allister has been vital in this title win

Alexis Mac Allister.

Born in Santa Rosa, Argentina he was made for Liverpool.

He’s an elegant midfielder, able to find a pass between the lines, playing a racking crossfield ball, or nip past an opponent with a tidy bit of skill.

But he’s also got some bite. He never backs down from a challenge, he’ll throw his body on the line to win the ball back and he’ll chase the ball down all day long.

When he joined Liverpool, the expectation was that he was an attacking midfielder, or at least a box-to-box midfielder.

Someone who was going to operate in the attacking thirds and find the final pass, the type of player Liverpool didn’t really have at that time.

However much of his first few months was played at the base of Liverpool’s midfield as a no.6. He was required to win the ball back, and protect the back four, something he can do but doesn’t utilise his skillset to its fullest potential.

The emergence of Wataru Endo allowed Mac Allister to push further forward and after Christmas 2023 Liverpool really got a glimpse of what he was about.

Between February and April 2024, he recorded 10 goals and assists in eight games as Liverpool pushed on all fronts.

They fell short, but it became clear that Mac Allister was the real deal, a mercurial midfielder who could become the heartbeat of the team.

It wasn’t clear where Mac Allister would feature in new manager Arne Slot’s system, with it appearing he favoured two defensive midfielders alongside a more attacking oriented player.

A very public pursuit of Martin Zubimendi appeared to confirm this, but Liverpool started the season with Ryan Gravenberch and Mac Allister in a double pivot.

The Dutchman stole the headlines for the first few weeks, looking a different player from his first season on Merseyside.

But at Old Trafford you saw Slot’s vision for the Liverpool midfield laid bare, with Mac Allister at the heart of it.

Liverpool led 2-0 going into half-time, with a convincing last 10 minutes of the first half putting them in the driver’s seat.

A goal for Manchester United would make things interesting, with the second-half beginning a little cagey.

With 56 minutes on the clock and Kobbie Mainoo on the ball, Mac Allister pounced. He bundled the teenager off the ball, seconds after Gary Neville spoke of his ability to keep it on commentary, and set Dominik Szoboszlai through who laid it of for Mohamed Salah to make it 3-0.

A display of the tenacity and elegance that would sum up the rest of the season for the Argentine.

A deft finish in the first Champions League game at Anfield in 18-months set Liverpool on their way to beat Bologna, showed how his role had evolved under Slot, as he played an integral role in the build up from deep.

Where it became apparent he was the heartbeat of the team was against Real Madrid. An all action performance was encapsulated with his goal, where again he orchestrated a move from deep in midfield before beating Thibaut Courtois at the Kop end.

Liverpool’s 27-game unbeaten run in the league owed a lot to the relationship he formed in the midfield with Gravenberch and Szoboszlai, but without his drive and determination, it could have looked so different.

The last two home games Liverpool played before being crowned champions cemented his position as the unsung hero.

He provided the assist for Virgil van Dijk’s winner from a corner against West Ham, while scoring the goal to put Liverpool ahead against Tottenham.

Against West Ham he completed the second most tackles (three), only behind Conor Bradley, and against Tottenham he completed the most tackles (four).

He had a passing accuracy of above 80 per cent in both games and was arguably man of the match in both performances.

It’s probably not a crazy statement to claim he might be one of if not the best midfielder in the world currently. As Liverpool look to defend their title, Mac Allister will surely be at the heart of Arne Slot’s planning.

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