Liverpool will be pleased to have gotten the final international break of the season out of the way last night.
With so many players in action yesterday, there was a high risk of Jurgen Klopp’s squad picking up more injuries. In the end, only Andy Robertson appears to have been struck down. We wait to hear the severity of the knock he picked up for Scotland.
Meanwhile, it was a better night for some of Robertson’s Liverpool teammates. Conor Bradley got his first international goal, while Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai were on the scoresheet, too.
But despite bagging his second goal for Argentina with a deft little header, the national press were not too impressed by Mac Allister’s overall display.
Argentine media unimpressed with Alexis Mac Allister
Having come off the bench for the world champions at the weekend, Mac Allister was named in the Lionel Scaloni’s starting line-up against Costa Rica.
But without Lionel Messi, Liverpool’s No.10 and his teammates struggled to get going. 1-0 down at half-time though, they dug deep to turn it around and score three unanswered second-half goals. Mac Allister got the second of those.
Pouncing on a loose ball in the area following a header off the crossbar, the 25-year-old was alert to head into the empty net and put his team in front. It was a good moment for Mac Allister, only his second international goal.
However, according to Argentine outlet Clarin, it was one of the few good moments of an iffy display. Handed a 6 out of 10, Mac Allister is said to have been noticeably ‘inaccurate’ with his passes in particular. Overall, it reportedly wasn’t ‘his best game,’ and the Liverpool man was subbed off shortly after scoring.
What next for Argentina
Just like the European sides, Argentina have a summer tournament to plan for now.
With the mid-season friendlies out of the way, the number one ranked team in the world will reconvene for a pre-Copa America game against Guatemala in June.
From there, the Copa America will be in full swing. As holders of the World Cup, Argentina will be favourites to win a third successive international tournament.
Despite his slightly below-par performance yesterday, Mac Allister should be considered a shoo-in for the squad.
As well as being a favourite of manager Scaloni, the former Brighton man has been simply terrific this season. Macca’s goal last night was actually his fourth in successive starts for club and country. He’s on fire.
With his focus fully on Liverpool once again, let’s hope Mac Allister can return to Argentina in June as a Premier League and Europa League champion.