Alexis Mac Allister has admitted there is no simple solution to the recurring issue Liverpool face during international breaks.
The midfielder is one of three Reds players who will travel to South America following Saturday’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa for the latest round of World Cup qualifiers.
Mac Allister is part of the Argentina squad, which will face Paraguay and Peru, while Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz are expected to feature for Uruguay and Colombia, respectively, over the next fortnight.
This international break will be the last one until mid-March, and Liverpool have already taken steps to ensure their players return to Merseyside as quickly as possible following their national team commitments, having done so in the previous two months.
Mac Allister joined up with the Argentina squad in October despite carrying an injury that kept him out of the first of his country’s two fixtures.
He was limited to a brief cameo off the bench for Liverpool in their 2-1 win over Chelsea after his return.
The midfielder has acknowledged that Liverpool continue to find the best way to manage the situation.
“To be honest it’s not at all easy, but you also have to say that we get great support from the club,” said Alexis Mac Allister.
“Of course, we can’t avoid the different time zones or the long travel times, but we can say that the club has been impeccable with us and whenever we’ve played, they’ve arranged private planes so that we get back in the best way possible to England.
“So these are the finer details that help us greatly but obviously the difficulty is there.
“We can’t deny it and it’s something that we need to continue learning from, to continue to be better as professionals by recovering in the best way because the games come around quickly, the trips are long and ultimately you have to perform.”
Liverpool will have at least an extra day to prepare after the upcoming international break, as they face Southampton on Sunday.
Alexis Mac Allister is one of just three players – alongside Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo – to have featured in all 16 of Liverpool’s matches this season.
The 25-year-old has been operating in a slightly different role in midfield under new head coach Arne Slot, with Ryan Gravenberch joining him in a double pivot.
Mac Allister has spoken about the tactical changes introduced by Slot and how they’ve impacted his role within the team.
“Perhaps with Jurgen (Klopp) I played as a lone six,” he said.
“So, the position was very different.
“I was much more defensive than anything else.
“Nowadays, we play with two sixes, I can be a little freer and if we start with two sitting midfielders and one a little further forward, that changes things.
“For instance, when the ball goes out to the left full-back, I’m the one who can move further forward and Ryan becomes the number six.
“So the system has changed a little, but the main ideas are the same.
“I think perhaps the big change is in having that patience to have longer periods of possession and dominate games more and obviously that creates more chances.
“We are working really well. I feel there’s a lot of positivity within the club and we’re working fantastically well with the new manager.
“We can really see that he has great ideas, his mentality and what he gets across to us is important so we’re happy.
“We’re still in this transitional phase of looking to get to where the manager wants us to be.”
Saturday evening’s clash against Aston Villa marks the conclusion of a challenging stretch for Liverpool – seven demanding matches in just 21 days.
It’s also the third consecutive home game at Anfield, where the crowd has played a pivotal role.
In their previous outings, the home supporters were instrumental in Liverpool’s 2-1 Premier League victory over Brighton last Saturday, as well as the dominant 4-0 Champions League win against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday.
“They are incredible,” added Mac Allister.
“Obviously, it’s quite different here to the way the fans support their team in Argentina.
“But I’m not in any doubt on this, and if you ask players whoever come to Anfield I think the majority would say that it’s just crazy the way the people react, how they cheer their team on.
“They are obviously ‘crazy for their team’ as we say in Argentina, and I enjoy this a lot because I’ve also played for Boca (Juniors) who have incredible fans and I think these (Liverpool) fans are very special, particularly on a worldwide scale.”
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