Andoni Iraola admits he cannot explain Alexis Mac Allister’s upturn in form but has praised the midfielder’s intelligence and importance to Liverpool.
Like many of his teammates, Mac Allister struggled last season as Liverpool lost 20 matches across all competitions, a disappointing campaign that ended with Arne Slot losing his job in late May.
After helping Argentina reach the World Cup final over the summer, the midfielder has become a key figure under Iraola.
Alexis Mac Allister scored twice in Tuesday’s dramatic 4-3 Champions League victory over Villarreal and netted the winner in last month’s 2-1 triumph over Atletico Madrid.
Iraola has been impressed by how the former Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder has adapted to his new regime at Anfield.
“For me it’s impossible [to say what happened last season], because I wasn’t here last season,” Iraola said. So we are talking about hypotheses. And he will know better than me, definitely, no?
“What I can say about him is that I’m happy, because his performances have been very good since day one I arrived.
“He arrived [as] the last one from the national team, but straight away took everything, all the information. I think he’s smart, understands, you don’t need to explain seven times the same things to Alexis.
“Some of the players get things very quickly, get information even from opposition, what we need from each team, from each position.
“And I think he helps a lot also his team-mates, because he understands the overall picture, and it’s good to have him on the pitch.”
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