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Liverpool welcomed back Alexis Mac Allister against Arsenal. Arne Slot was briefly spared a selection headache by the need to deploy Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back, but will soon find himself having to make some tough calls in the middle of the park.
With the arrival of Florian Wirtz, Liverpool has a surplus of elite options who prefer to play in the midfield three. Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, and Ryan Gravenberch thrived in that unit last season, but at least one will presumably drop out most weeks in order to accommodate Wirtz.
Mac Allister had been the one to miss out in the first two games, as he made his way back from injury. But Slot has a major dilemma on the horizon now that everyone is fit — Conor Bradley made his return for Northern Ireland, and Jeremie Frimpong is due back after the break, likely marking the end of Szoboszlai's stint in the back four.
Yet this is a welcome problem for Slot to have. Over a long campaign across multiple fronts, everybody will get chances, and it is far better for the manager to have a full complement to choose from.
As such, Liverpool will have been relieved by a boost from the Argentina camp. Mac Allister was called up despite his recent fitness issues, but he was left on the bench for the 3-0 win over Venezuela..
Strangely enough, this was not a concession by Lionel Scaloni to Mac Allister's injury-hit start to the campaign. Instead, Liverpool was the beneficiary of some travel chaos.
"Alexis Mac Allister arrived late, and I don't think he'll make the team because he barely trained," Scaloni revealed before the match. It appears that an issue with a KLM flight forced the midfielder to divert to Paris before touching down in Argentina.
It meant that Mac Allister was a spectator for what is expected to be Lionel Messi's send-off on home soil. The legend of the sport has not ruled out featuring at the World Cup in 2026, but is not expected to appear competitively in Argentina again.
Naturally, Messi marked the occasion with a brace. Only an offside flag denied him a hattrick in a 3-0 win over Venezuela.
That maintained Argentina's seven-point advantage at the top of the World Cup qualifying table. It has already booked its place at next summer's tournament, and Mac Allister is likely to be an important figure as the team looks to retain the title it earned in Qatar.
With that on the horizon, he will be even more motivated to ensure he holds onto his spot at Anfield. The hope will be that the strength of the competition brings out the best in everyone.
Along with Wirtz, Szoboszlai, and Gravenberch, Mac Allister is also fighting for a place with Curtis Jones. The Academy graduate changed the game when he came on against Arsenal, affording Liverpool more control and composure.
One name no longer in the mix is Harvey Elliott, who completed a deadline day move to Aston Villa. Liverpool will bank $47 million (£35 million) once an obligation to buy is activated, matching the fee it paid for Mac Allister in the summer of 2023.
Mac Allister is likely to be involved in Argentina's next match, which comes against Ecuador next week. Liverpool will be grateful for the unexpected reduction of his workload, and will hope he returns to Anfield unscathed.
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