Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister admitted that “something wasn’t right” under Arne Slot at Anfield last season and hailed the Dutchman’s managerial replacement, Andoni Iraola, for addressing the issue.
Slot could scarcely have enjoyed a better debut season on Merseyside. The calm and understated former Feyenoord boss filled the void left by Jürgen Klopp’s departure and immediately matched his haul of Premier League trophies, guiding Liverpool to just the club’s second league title in 35 years.
However, the good times would not last. A strong run of results to start the 2025–26 season masked some serious flaws, all of which were inextricably linked to the tragic passing of striker Diogo Jota last summer. Liverpool would sink into a historic rut, suffering their worst sequence of results since the times of rationing in the U.K. after the Second World War.
Despite repeatedly stressing the safety of his position, Liverpool shocked many by sacking Slot after he salvaged Champions League qualification. Iraola, who finished one place below the Reds with a Bournemouth roster built on a fraction of the funds, was promptly hired.
There have been some teething issues under the incoming manager: After prioritizing control, there has been a demonstrative shift toward the chaos which Iraola inspires. It’s not been a straight-line upward trajectory but the general direction of travel is positive.
“Something wasn’t right in the group and this manager changed it,” Mac Allister told Amazon Prime after scoring twice in Tuesday’s 4–3 Champions League victory over Villarreal. “The way we play is different, I don’t like to compare,” he added, while in the process of making a damning comparison.
Alexis Mac Allister Unpicks Liverpool’s Tactical Transformation
“When I came here, the owners told me everything is not perfect,” Iraola admitted. The chief concern would have been defensive: Liverpool’s tally of 53 Premier League goals conceded was their worst record in the competition since 1993–94.
Iraola approach to combat that problem is a total revamp of Liverpool’s style. Rather than setting his players up in a clearly defined formation with the brief of covering specifically defined zones of a pitch, the Reds hunt individual opponents in a man-to-man system.
“Now it’s more man-to-man,” Mac Allister explained. “You have to communicate less. Last year, it was more like a zonal thing. I like both. In the national team, we do zonal and it works. It’s about us taking the responsibility. It’s one of the changes. Now it’s easier, you think less but run more.”
This shift from zonal to man-to-man is a common trend across Europe. PSG used it to win the Champions League in successive seasons, gambling on the idea that they would be individually superior to their opponents more often than not. Iraola proved at Bournemouth that singular qualities are not the defining factor in making this approach work, but having players of Mac Allister’s caliber certainly helps.
The affection is mutual. “From the first day, I started seeing something,” Mac Allister said of Iraola. “He’s a nice guy, and the coaching staff is too. We are going in the right direction but we need to work and put in everything. Hopefully, we can win some trophies.”
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