Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge wasn’t just another result on the board it was a stark reminder of how fragile the Reds have become in the early months of the 2025/26 season.
Three consecutive defeats in all competitions have thrown the club’s promising start into sharp relief, and former Liverpool striker John Aldridge has voiced serious concerns over the heart of the team and one singled out one player in particular.
Writing in his latest column of the Liverpool Echo he states:
“More concerning, though, remains the form of Alexis Mac Allister,” Aldridge said. “His fitness problems of the last six months are now seriously hampering the midfielder, but the only way to solve that is by being given more game time to improve his sharpness.”
The Argentina international’s struggles have been painfully obvious. Mac Allister has found it challenging to regain full match fitness after an injury disrupted his pre-season preparations. He has started only six of Liverpool’s 11 games across all competitions and has yet to complete a full 90 minutes in the Premier League.
His stop-start season stands in stark contrast to the player who narrowly missed out on the Premier League Team of the Year last season, highlighting just how much Liverpool rely on him when he is at his best.
Liverpool began the new season with an impressive run: five consecutive Premier League wins, alongside victories over Atletico Madrid and Southampton in the Champions League and Carabao Cup. Yet those results masked an underlying problem. The Reds often relied on brief bursts of quality from their top stars rather than sustained team performances, a weakness that has been ruthlessly exposed against stronger opposition.
The latest example comes from the goal by Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo illustrated the vulnerability of Liverpool’s midfield and Mac Allister’s isolation in key moments.
“Caicedo’s goal was just the most glaring example, as a simple sidestep eliminated the admittedly isolated Mac Allister from the game entirely,”
“It still required the rest of the Liverpool defence to step off Caicedo for infuriatingly long, allowing the midfielder to set himself and line up a shot a couple of times before actually cracking one into the top corner.” Aldridge explained.
The Argentine’s absence from full match fitness has compounded Liverpool’s broader midfield woes. While players such as Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, and Ibrahima Konate have been inconsistent, Aldridge argues that Mac Allister’s problems are even more concerning.
“Arne Slot, then, has some tough calls to make in midfield when Liverpool resume on Sunday week against Manchester United,” Aldridge said.
The Reds’ issues are not only fitness-related. Individual performances have been poor at times, and the team’s balance has been off. Against Chelsea, Mac Allister’s inability to influence play early on forced Liverpool to rely on reactive defending and sporadic bursts of brilliance from other players.
Aldridge noted, “His fitness problems of the last six months are now seriously hampering the midfielder, but the only way to solve that is by being given more game time to improve his sharpness.”
Mac Allister has joined the Argentina squad for the October international break, featuring in friendlies against Venezuela and Puerto Rico, giving Liverpool a brief opportunity to regroup. But the underlying challenge remains: The Premier League champions can’t sustain top level performances when their midfield pivot is struggling.
Liverpool supporters are rightfully worried because Mac Allister was one of the best centre-midfielders in the Premier League last season, He’s a player who can dictate games, break lines, and make key passes. If he isn’t at his sharpest, it hampers the entire team. It’s not just a fitness issue it’s a form and rhythm issue too, and Liverpool have felt it over the last few games.
Liverpool now face a critical month in the season. With Manchester United next on the schedule, Slot must decide whether to rely on a partially fit Mac Allister or adjust his midfield setup entirely.
For Aldridge, the stakes are clear: “The only way forward for Liverpool is to get Mac Allister back to full sharpness. He is a key player, and his form will likely determine whether the Reds can recover from this early-season slump.”
The Chelsea defeat, and the subsequent analysis, underline a harsh reality for Liverpool: individual brilliance can only carry a team so far. The Reds’ midfield, long their engine room, has become a question mark. And according to John Aldridge, until Alexis Mac Allister regains fitness and confidence, the Reds may struggle to find the balance needed to challenge at the top of the table.
