Both Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez share more than just a nationality. These two technically accomplished yet combative midfielders were central figures in Argentina’s 2022 World Cup triumph, and both currently ply their trade at top Premier League clubs. For years, speculation linking them to Real Madrid seemed entirely justified.
Until recently, the logic was compelling. Mac Allister had been instrumental in guiding Liverpool to their second-ever Premier League crown, while Fernandez had played a key role in Chelsea’s Conference League victory and their stunning upset of Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final.
Yet the landscape has shifted considerably. With Saturday’s clash between their respective clubs at Anfield approaching, it’s worth asking whether either player would genuinely address Real Madrid‘s midfield concerns — because neither has had the campaign they would have hoped for.
A Season to Forget
Liverpool find themselves in a marginally stronger position than Chelsea, sitting fourth in the Premier League standings with a 10-point cushion over the London side, and on course to secure Champions League football through a top-five finish. But there is no glossing over the fact that this has been a disastrous year for the Reds, a side widely tipped to defend their title after investing over £450 million in a championship-winning squad.
Instead, they face the prospect of ending the campaign without silverware, having accumulated a staggering 18 defeats — and counting — across all competitions. The reasons behind Liverpool’s collapse are numerous: difficulties with set pieces, an inability to break down defensive structures, a string of injuries to key personnel, and the well-documented rift between Mohamed Salah and manager Arne Slot.
The full psychological toll of losing Diogo Jota may never be fully understood.
Accountability Without Alibis
Mac Allister has been notably unwilling to cite Jota’s tragic passing as a factor in the club’s struggles.
“Of course, we remember Diogo and it was a complicated period, but I don’t believe that’s why this year was so difficult for us,” the former Brighton midfielder said. “If you had asked me at the beginning of the season what I expected, I still would have said that this team was there to fight and win competitions, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
“We have to keep working, because this year doesn’t do justice to the club.”
Regrettably, it hasn’t done justice to Mac Allister‘s standing as one of England’s finest midfielders either.
An Inexplicable Slump
Salah‘s downturn has attracted the most attention, given how decisive his goals and assists were to last season’s title run. But Mac Allister‘s deterioration has been harder to explain. At just 27, age is not a factor, and there has been no public falling-out with the coaching staff. He has simply ceased to perform — and nobody seems to know why.
As Roy Keane observed from the Sky Sports studio at Old Trafford on Sunday, the Argentine endured a “shocker” in Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat to Manchester United. He turned away from a Matheus Cunha effort and inadvertently deflected it into his own net for the opening goal; a wayward pass set up United’s second; and Kobbie Mainoo converted the winner from Mac Allister’s miscued clearance.
What makes this all the more troubling is that the performance came as no shock to Liverpool fans who, just two seasons ago, were calling him one of the finest signings in the club’s history. His form this season has been a shadow of what it once was.
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