Q&AAlexis Mac Allister interview: 'I feel very good and want to be important for the team'
The Argentina international has appeared in all 14 of the Reds’ matches so far in 2024-25, with head coach Arne Slot overseeing 12 wins, one draw and a single defeat.
The latest victory was a 3-2 result at the home of Mac Allister’s former club, Brighton & Hove Albion, in the Carabao Cup in midweek.
Liverpool and the Seagulls face off again at Anfield on Saturday afternoon, this time in the Premier League, and Mac Allister is eager to continue playing his part from midfield.
Assessing his own form so far this term, the No.10 told Liverpoolfc.com: “I feel very good.
“Recovery is key, I try to do the things I need to do to recover well. Sometimes it’s quite hard because there is not much time. But I’m really happy and every time I feel fit then the manager knows that I will be there to help the team.
“That’s the only thing I want: to play, to feel important, to try to help the team. Until now, I think I’ve been doing it quite well.”
Read on for more from our pre-match interview with Mac Allister as he discusses the double-header with Brighton, three upcoming home fixtures in a row, and more…
Reflecting on Wednesday’s game, it got a bit more interesting towards the end than you would have liked, but how good a performance and result was that?
Definitely a really good result, a really good win for us. For us, every trophy that we can win is important so it was an amazing result against a really good team. You could see how good on the ball they are. So, a really good performance. Some of the guys that didn’t play much had the opportunity to play and did very well, so really happy for them as well.
There was a lovely moment for you during the first half when you came out to warm up and you got an ovation from the Brighton fans. What did that mean to you?
It’s always nice to go back there and see the love that we have for each other. For me, I always said it, Brighton gave me the opportunity to play in the Premier League. I had some special moments with them, so it’s always nice to be back and see some people I know very well and the fans, of course. Every time I go there the welcome is amazing. They know that I love them, that it’s a special club for me. So, really glad to live it.
You’ll see them again on Saturday. It’s an unusual situation to play the same team twice so quickly. Can you take anything from Wednesday as an advantage or do you see it as starting again?
It’s a new game. Definitely we can take some things from the game – and they will do as well, so, in that sense it will be very equal. But I think they will change a lot as well; some players that are regular starters for them didn’t play [on Wednesday] so we expect different players but a similar game, because we both have an idea of what we want to do on the pitch. It will be a very tough game because they have very good players and, as I said, they have a clear idea. We are already working on what we want to do and we will try to win the game.
It’s such a frantic time of the season – could you give us a bit of insight from a player’s point of view what it’s like between games? What are the most important things in the process for you?
Recovery is key, because there is not much time between games. There is no time to train, you just have to rest, recover and go again. We had a very good session today to prepare for the game and that’s all we can do.
We’re around the quarter mark of the Premier League season now, this is the time when managers usually say we can look at how things are settling down. Are Liverpool around where you thought you would be at this stage?
I think when you play in a club like Liverpool, you have to be on the top [positions]. We are there, against very good teams and very good clubs, so I think we are where we expected to be. But at the same time, we know that it’s a long year. We have a lot of games coming up, including the international break. So I wouldn’t say this is the time where you see if you are up to win something but maybe in January, February we will see – and hopefully we are at the top.
You mentioned the upcoming break. It’s three Anfield games in a row before then. Do you see that as a good opportunity to really hit that break positively?
Yeah, sure. We know that when we play at Anfield we are stronger than when we play away because of our fans. We have to play our game, try to do the things that we want and I’m sure the fans will be behind us. That’s a plus for sure. To play at home is always special.