Mac Allister reveals the Iraola shift behind his brace in Liverpool's 4-3 comeback win over Villarreal

Two goals, a heart stopping comeback and an admission that explains a lot of what's happening at Anfield. Liverpool beat Villarreal 4-3 in the Champions League, and Alexis Mac Allister, who scored twice, put into words something many had suspected: the locker room arrived broken from last season, and Andoni Iraola is fixing it.

The Argentine held nothing back speaking to Amazon Prime. He went straight at last season, the one in which Liverpool fell all the way to fifth place in the Premier League after winning the title under Arne Slot in his first year in charge. "It was a really tough year for all of us," Mac Allister admitted. "It was clear I wasn't at the level. I'm the first to say it, I have no problem with that."

Something wasn't right in the group. This coach changed that, and that's really important.Alexis Mac Allister

What's interesting is that the midfielder didn't stop at the diagnosis: he also explained exactly what changed with Iraola's arrival. According to him, the way the team plays is "quite different" from the previous cycle, though he avoided drawing direct comparisons. What he did detail was the tactical shift: Liverpool went from a more zonal marking setup to man to man marking.

"Now it's more man marking. You have to communicate less because you have to follow your man. Last year it was more zonal. With the national team we do more zonal and it works. Now we do one on one and it works," Mac Allister explained, adding that the new scheme also spreads individual responsibility better: "At the end of the day, it's about us taking on the responsibility. That's one of the changes. But now it's much easier, you have to think less but run more, maybe. That's how football goes."

A night of comebacks and an unusual header

The match didn't start well at all for the Anfield side, who found themselves behind on the scoreboard after two early Villarreal goals. That's when Mac Allister stepped up, cutting the deficit with a header, something he himself admitted isn't exactly his trademark. "I'm not tall! But I love getting into the box," he explained with a laugh. "The coaches know I like to attack the near post. I scored like that at the World Cup too. That's the spot I like to get to. My dad is the same height, maybe a bit less, and he was good in the air too."

After Ronald Araujo equalized for the Spanish side, Liverpool went back in front, and Mac Allister's second goal came courtesy of a pass from Rio Ngumoha, one of the standouts of the night at Anfield. The man who scored the brace had nothing but praise for the young forward: "Rio was incredible, he made the difference. Sometimes people only talk about the players who score goals, but he was really important. It's clear, the quality he has. Everyone knows it. It's easy to see he's a really good player. He worked hard without the ball too, and that matters just as much."

On the specific sequence for the second goal, Mac Allister added a detail that speaks to the chemistry between the two: "The second play, Rio, incredible as well. I always talk to him about cutting the ball back low." Florian Wirtz extended Liverpool's lead with the team's fourth goal before Tani Oluwaseyi pulled one back for Villarreal to make it a final score of 4-3.