One surprise Liverpool player has just become undroppable after what happened vs Fulham
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What do you think Liverpool should do with Alexis Mac Allister’s contract? After his rocket against Atletico Madrid, should the Reds really be ignoring an extension for Mac Allister?
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar Andoni Iraola made three changes to his team, one of which saw Ryan Gravenberch come in for Alexis Mac Allister, who scored against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. That was the latest episode of a renaissance for Mac Allister, who could easily have left the club this summer.And having seen Gravenberch struggle through the match, along with the alarmingly out of form Dominik Szoboszlai, Iraola has now seen in black and white terms that he can not afford to drop Mac Allister again for any meaningful matches.Alexis Mac Allister has to be a starter for LiverpoolLiverpool fans had been nervous about the Gravenberch/Szoboszlai pivot ever since the team news first dropped on Saturday.The pair have simply not found a balance when playing together, and with Mac Allister in good form, it seemed like a gamble from Iraola.READ MORE: Andoni Iraola made a tactical switch with Bradley Barcola which worked for Liverpool vs FulhamThat proved to be the case, with the two midfielders winning only two of their 10 ground duels during the first 45 minutes at Anfield.Gravenberch won both, but was guilty of other issues in his game, while Szoboszlai failed to win a single one of the six duels he contested.The biggest worry for Liverpool is that they have just handed these two players big contracts, and presumably expect them to be key to the team moving forward.On Saturday, they looked anything but players who Iraola can hang his hat on, and though Mac Allister has had his own issues, he now looks like something close to being undroppable.
Liverpool just can’t pick these two again.Liverpool improve after Mac Allister’s introductionIt was not a surprise to see Mac Allister emergence – and come on for Gravenberch – after an hour at Anfield.The Argentina international immediately settled Liverpool down, playing slightly deeper than Gravenberch and being much more effective in the press.Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty ImagesHe set Szoboszlai up for a good chance and was not afraid to take some shots on from range either.That made a difference to Liverpool, who after weathering a bit of a storm from Fulham, got much more of a hold on the game.If he was not already in Iraola’s best XI, then Saturday absolutely confirmed it. Few Liverpool fans will have seen this coming even two or three weeks ago, but Mac Allister is now arguably their most important player.