Alexis Mac Allister was brought off at half-time in Liverpool’s 3-1 comeback at Wolves, a game which arguably the midfielder should not have started.
After a flight to Argentina to take on Ecuador and then an away clash with Bolivia, Mac Allister was straight back into the side on Saturday.
This is despite barely having trained in the buildup after a late return from South America, where he required breathing apparatus to manage the high altitude in Bolivia.
It was no surprise that he turned in a sluggish display which, sitting as No. 6, was costly as Liverpool were overrun in the first half at Molineux.
Mac Allister had already been booked for a lazy pull on Matheus Cunha when he went in for half-time, with the Reds 1-0 down through Hwang Hee-chan’s strike.
And as hoped, Jurgen Klopp made the necessary change in replacing the Argentine with Luis Diaz, and Liverpool went on to fight back for a 3-1 victory.
“It’s never easy but extremely important to win after the international break,” Mac Allister wrote on Instagram after the game.
“Nice to be back.”
The rigours of the international break were only made worse by the scheduling of a 12.30pm kickoff on the Reds’ return.
It meant a particularly tight turnaround, with Mac Allister and his fellow South Americans not involved in team training on Thursday, meaning time for only one session before the journey to Wolverhampton.
Even before kickoff, Klopp admitted that he would “need them as substitutes,” despite having named his No. 10 as part of the starting lineup.
Afterwards, the manager said Mac Allister was “rather relieved” to have been brought off, with it clear he accepted his mistake in selection.
The decision was confusing given Wataru Endo‘s presence on the bench – the Japanese midfielder having travelled to Germany and Belgium in the international break – but Klopp is yet to show trust in his £16 million signing.
Fortunately the error was not too costly, and Liverpool had the fortitude to battle back and take three points on the road.
