Alexis Mac Allister is Thriving Under Pressure
Alexis Mac Allister is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League for passing in tight spaces. He is using the skill in high value situations too.
Statistics do not include Liverpool’s Carabao Cup match with West Ham.
There are lots of Liverpool players whose performance in the brave new world of Arne Slot have been heavily scrutinised. One man who doesn’t seem to have had quite the same level of attention is Alexis Mac Allister.
With the emergence of Ryan Gravenberch as the Reds’ new star man, it’s understandable if his midfield partner’s efforts have gone somewhat unnoticed. If there’s something which has caught the eye at times, it’s that the Argentine looks undercooked for the new season, or knackered, if you prefer to keep it simple.
This is to be expected. Mac Allister played 445 minutes at the Copa America this summer, helping his nation to lift the trophy on July 15. Twenty-seven days later he played 74 minutes of a friendly against Sevilla, the following week the season proper began at Ipswich and he has started every league and European game since.
The 25-year-old has yet to make a goal contribution for Liverpool’s new head coach, albeit that is not his primary role within the team. He broke his duck in the sixth league game of last season, so don’t say you haven’t been warned, Wolves.
Mac Allister has created a couple of Opta-defined big chances, only to see them go unconverted, perhaps surprisingly, by Diogo Jota. The one against Nottingham Forest, the Reds’ sole golden opportunity of a very stodgy attacking performance, might have made all the difference as it was crafted during a goalless first half.
And it is within the realm of big chances that Mac Allister’s slightly lukewarm campaign starts to heat up. He has played a part in the sequences which have led to 14 of them this season, behind only Luis Díaz and Mohamed Salah (both on 16). If we ignore taking the shot or setting it up, the former Brighton man has been involved in the build up chains for more big chances than any other Red (12).
While his role has been more clearly defined this term than it was last season, it’s interesting to examine Mac Allister’s passing data. Per FBRef, he is averaging around 14 fewer passes per 90 minutes, though because his accuracy has risen, the total completed has only dropped by about 11. Despite this, his expected assist rate (in terms of likelihood of passes becoming assists, rather than the more common xA definition of the xG of chances created) is at its highest since he was a teenager in his homeland. Mac is making fewer passes but they are of noticeably higher value.
If you look for players who’ve averaged at least 54 passes with a minimum of 89 per cent completion and an expected assist value of 0.2 per 90 or better, there haven’t been many across a completed Premier League season. If you set a bar of 1,710 minutes, the equivalent of playing half a season, there are just two: Fernandinho in 2017/18, plus his successor Rodri six years later.
Mac Allister may not maintain his figures but that is the path he is currently on. He is above the Manchester City pair on xA per pass too, with their tallies amassed through heavy pass volume. The below chart includes this trio and others, like the Liverpool man, with much fewer minutes played.
What makes this even more impressive is that he has been compiling these numbers when at times under close attention from opponents. Earlier this week, CIES Football Observatory revealed the leading 100 midfielders from the top divisions in 18 European countries, Brazil and Mexico for ball retention under high pressure (as defined by SkillCorner). Mac Allister is one of seven Premier League representatives, with an 87.5 per cent success rate which is 11 points above the average for Liverpool.
He’s a fabulous player with wonderful technique and an eye for a pass, so these findings aren’t exactly surprising. However, when CIES last revealed these figures, in February, Mac Allister was nowhere to be seen. We can’t know what his retention rate was last season but it must’ve been below 86.2 per cent for him to fail to make the cut.
With fewer passes attempted, it is logical that more might be completed. To improve under pressure speaks to a better structure for the whole team, though. To then be one of the top midfielders in the league for ball retention under high pressure while also making higher value passes and contributing to multiple big chance moves marks out a very special player indeed.
Super pick for a deep dive into an all round brilliant player. I called him world class more in hope in another post on TTT but he's won a World Cup and looks every bit a successor for the Luka Modric type. An absolute bargain. I just wonder if he might be more aggressive in carrying the ball past players at times. I think as a trio of midfielders that unit could be more influential than Gini, Fab and Hendo! He's a big reason for that.
Enzo Millot (VfB Stuttgart) ranking very high in the same report, only 22 years. Destroyed Dortmund last weekend. Might be one to keep a close eye on.