Few players have benefited from the change in head coach at Liverpool this summer quite as much as Alexis Mac Allister.

The Argentine was one of the worst offenders during Arne Slot’s final season in charge, looking like a shadow of the player who had lit up his first two years at Anfield.

Mac Allister is benefitting from Iraola’s compact shape

After being written off last year, his return to form has led to reports that Mac Allister could sign a new contract with Liverpool. That is quite the turnaround and, on his current form, it would be richly deserved.

Though the player himself should take the biggest slice of credit, Iraola has clearly made a massive difference as well, something Mac Allister acknowledged while sitting down for an interview with Sky Sports on Friday.

“I feel like we are all connected. We are more compact and we all know what we have to do, that makes my job much easier for sure,” he said, when asked how Iraola’s style of play suits him and his game.

“When I do well I always speak about my teammates, they make my life easier and without them I would be nothing. I always try to speak to them quite a lot, I think it’s important to have the communication. And then on the ball we have a lot of freedom, so I try to do what I like that is having the ball, having possession, sometimes trying to be direct

“I think there is a lot of things that I think improved my game this season after a really difficult season that we had, but we are all in a very good position right now and hopefully we can keep showing it on the pitch.”

“I do have my preferences but I don’t know if it makes sense to say,” he said. “At the end what I want is to be on the pitch.

“What is important for me is to understand the role that I’m going to play, whether that’s a six, eight or 10. The manager and myself ask different things from different roles, so if I’m playing as a six sometimes I have to understand that I have to stay, or think about the rest of the defence instead of going into the box.

“If I play as an eight I like arriving into the box and I score some goals which is really nice as well. It’s about understanding the role and doing the best for the team.”

Wherever he has been playing this season, Mac Allister has been a revelation. It may have been simply that his fitness has returned to peak level after an injury-disrupted summer in 2025, or perhaps he is feeling more settled after a turbulent period for Liverpool. But whether by design or coincidence, Iraola has brought the best out of Mac Allister again. Clearly, this is something the Reds must look to maximise.