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Alexis Mac Allister played the full 90 minutes for Argentina against Ecuador even though his manager, Lionel Scaloni, said that the Liverpool ace was not yet 100 per cent fit.
And things did not go to plan for the South American giant, which lost 1-0 against Ecuador. Moises Caicedo and Nicolas Otamendi were both sent off in the game, and the Argentine media were not kind in their assessment of Mac Allister and his teammates.
Heading into the match, Scaloni said that Mac Allister was still working his way back to full match sharpness. For that reason, getting the minutes under his belt is probably no bad thing ahead of a big run of fixtures for Liverpool.
Mac Allister sat out Argentina's win over Venezuela last week. He has only played in two of Liverpool's three Premier League games so far this season, being substituted in both matches and missing the trip to Newcastle United completely through injury.
But Clarin gave Mac Allister a 4/10 rating and wasn't impressed by his showing. "He was the most advanced of the midfielders Scaloni deployed," it said. "For several periods, he even seemed like an additional striker, just a few meters behind Lautaro Martinez.
"However, he was imprecise and lacked attacking prowess. He barely made any significant interventions for a team that constantly needs him."
BolaVIP agreed and hinted that Mac Allister did not look ready to be involved. It commented: "He looked physically diminished, as he wasn't at 100 per cent and couldn't make a difference in the midfield. Towards the end of the match, he had a tense exchange with Piero Hincapie."
Like Clarin, La Nacion also handed Mac Allister a score of 4/10 and reported: "In a system with Lautaro as the sole striker, Alexis started as an enganche (playmaker), a position he's familiar with but doesn't frequently occupy for the national team.
"He couldn't be a key player in the passing circuit; the ball rarely passed through his feet. He dropped back when Argentina were reduced to 10 men and moved into the No. 5 role after De Paul's departure. Argentina missed his aggressive passing and pace in getting into the box."
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Ole was a tad more generous but only gave Mac Allister a 4.5 rating. It added: "He played after being absent against Venezuela. He started a little further forward, but he wasn't convincing and didn't make an impact on the game."
However, Mac Allister's best verdict came from TyC Sports. It gave him a 6/10 and said: "He played as a midfielder until Paredes' departure. He wanted to play as a central midfielder, sometimes in 10-on-10 situations, becoming the focal point of the game."
Enner Valencia scored the only goal of the game. Alisson Becker and Brazil also lost 1-0 in World Cup qualifying, falling to a narrow defeat in Bolivia.
Liverpool.com says: Mac Allister playing might actually be a good thing for Liverpool as he continues to get minutes in his legs after a disrupted pre-season. If he doesn't start against Burnley on Sunday, he probably will against Atletico Madrid a few days later.
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