With Liverpool players continuing their campaigns, the Copa America is already tearing into its second round of matches.

The American competition still only accepts 16 countries, in contrast to the European Championship, which now feels a touch bloated with 24 teams.

 

That guarantees that only players who are good enough to qualify can enter while keeping the games coming thick and fast.

From Liverpool’s perspective, this implies that, until the tournament is over, we will largely get to watch our South American heroes in action.

Argentina, Brazil’s bitter rivals, took the pitch on Wednesday after Alisson Becker and Brazil let them down on Tuesday. Alexis Mac Allister was the World champs’ starting pitcher once more.

Argentine media renders a verdict on Alexis Mac Allister

Mac Allister has established himself as a mainstay in the Argentina squad. As of the now, the 25-year-old is a very important player at Anfield.

That was exemplified on Friday by the valiant assist Mac Allister gave for his team’s opening goal of the match. He always stakes his entire reputation.

Because of Mac Allister’s perseverance and inventiveness, former Liverpool defender Kolo Toure recently referred to him as a “fantastic” player. He was even called the Premier League’s top player as of late by Diogo Jota.

Although Jota’s praise may have been a little exaggerated, there’s no denying that any successful team requires a player with the calibre of Liverpool’s No. 10.

Thank goodness, the Argentine press seems to recognise this. Following Tuesday’s 1-0 victory over Chile, Mac Allister received positive coverage from sports outlet TyC Sports.

It’s interesting to note that they say the former Brighton player “played as a 5′ for Lionel Scaloni in the match against Chile.

This is comparable to the deeper role that Mac Allister frequently played for Liverpool during the previous season, which we would refer to as the “6” position.

Furthermore, it’s said that Mac Allister “took control of the middle” starting in the 20th minute of the game, much like he did for the Reds. Macca receives a final score of seven out of 10, being praised for a “solid” performance in which he “did everything simple and well.”

Alexis Mac Allister displays his Argentinean class.

Almost everyone realised last season that Mac Allister’s best position is being used further up the pitch.

Wataru Endo was like a player reborn after he broke free from his chains as the World Cup winner.

That doesn’t mean Mac Allister can’t be effective in a more nuanced part, either. He can mix it even with a side as physically strong as Chile, as this report implies.

The fact that Mac Allister played so frequently in a new position last season significantly enhanced his skill set overall. He can now drop in and perform while sitting deep for Argentina if needed to.

The fact that the £35m man was able to take on the information of last season and train himself in a brand new role in such a way only goes to highlight the class of the player.

Argentina and Macca have won both of their matches, and they appear to be headed for back-to-back crowns. Whether further back or higher up, Mac Allister will be key to that.