Liverpool star Alexis Mac Allister had a game to forget as Argentina suffered a shock defeat to Uruguay in their World Cup qualifiers last night.
Marcelo Bielsa is Uruguay’s manager now, and he has completely transformed the side. He helped them beat Brazil in last month’s international break and has now picked up a fantastic win over the world champions. The 68-year-old had a special plan to stop Mac Allister last night, and it worked brilliantly.
Liverpool star Alexis Mac Allister gets 4/10 rating as Argentina lose to Brazil
Alexis Mac Allister has been earning rave reviews for both Liverpool and Argentina over the last few months and rightly so.
However, he will be the first one to admit that he had a disappointing game last night.
The Argentine was once again deployed as a number six. He was brilliant there in last month’s international break, but Marcelo Bielsa exposed him last night.
The Uruguay boss had a player marking Mac Allister from the first minute of the game. Every time he touched the ball, he was under pressure, and that made it an awkward evening for the Liverpool man.
Mac Allister, who received a yellow card in the first half, was substituted at half-time, and TyC Sports have now given him a 4/10 rating for his display.
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They wrote: “Bielsa sent him a permanent mark and he was never comfortable. The slightest imperfection and it was loss (of the ball).
“Booked, he came out at halftime to make way for Lautaro.”
Mac Allister needs to play higher up
Alexis Mac Allister has played as a number six for both Liverpool and Argentina, and he has looked really good in games where his side dominate.
However, against tougher opposition where they aren’t in complete control, he tends to get exposed, especially if he is man-marked like he was last night. His lack of pace is an issue too.
Liverpool take on Manchester City next in the Premier League, and we’re sure Pep Guardiola would’ve watched how Bielsa took Mac Allister out of the game last night.
If Jurgen Klopp starts the Argentine as a number six in that game, it won’t surprise us at all to see Guardiola employ Bielsa’s tactics to stop Mac Allister.