Liverpool
Maresca eyes Liverpool midfielder as City weigh Rodri answer
Maresca is weighing Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister as City search for a Rodri replacement.
Manchester City are preparing for a spell without Rodri at the heart of midfield, and Enzo Maresca is reported to have identified Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister as one possible solution.
It is the first time since 2019-20 that City must cope without Rodri controlling games, and the warning signs are already clear. The Premier League side went trophyless in 2024-25 when the midfielder missed most of the campaign with an ACL injury, before suffering a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield.
City have already spent heavily by bringing in Elliot Anderson and remain in talks over Morocco’s Ayyoub Bouaddi, but the need for another midfielder remains. BBC Sport report that Mac Allister “interests” Maresca.
The Liverpool player is under contract until June 2028 and is viewed as a fit for the role because of his deep-lying playmaking qualities and defensive work. His profile is similar to Rodri’s, although last season’s drop in form did leave some questions hanging over his level.
Even so, the 2022 World Cup winner would still strengthen most midfields. Whether he is Maresca’s first choice is less clear, with the Italian long known to want a reunion with Enzo Fernández.
The pair worked together at Chelsea, where Fernández reached his best form under Maresca. After Maresca left Stamford Bridge on New Year’s Day, the midfielder began openly flirting with a move, leading to a two-game ban from the Chelsea hierarchy.
Real Madrid had been his preferred destination, but the 15-time European champions said they have “no intention” of pursuing the 25-year-old. City then became a possible exit route, with reports stating they made direct contact with his camp before balking at the $162 million (£120 million) valuation.
Chelsea set that fee as a deadline price, but no club acted in time. The Telegraph now say City could be asked to pay more than $162 million if they return, and that only an improved offer or “more favorable terms” would persuade Chelsea.
Fernández has continued to draw attention this summer, though Chelsea are planning for 2026-27 with him in their squad. He featured in the 3-1 preseason win over Real Sociedad and later received a mixed reception at Stamford Bridge, where his equalizer for Argentina against England in the 2026 World Cup semifinal remains fresh in memory.
Liverpool
Panel backs Gravenberch dismissal after City victory swing
The KMI Panel backed Ryan Gravenberch’s red card, despite Liverpool’s complaints after City took control.
The Premier League’s Key Match Incidents Panel has ruled that Ryan Gravenberch’s red card against Manchester City was correctly given earlier this month.
At the moment of the dismissal, the match was level at 0-0. City then made the extra man count almost immediately, with Erling Haaland putting them ahead three minutes later. By the time Liverpool had lost the Dutch midfielder, City had scored three times inside 16 minutes.
There was frustration from a Liverpool point of view, however, because the first yellow card shown to Gravenberch was viewed as severe. It was also described by Andoni Iraola as “not a yellow”.
“[Elliot] Anderson carries on a couple of steps [before falling]. [The referee] wasn’t even going to give a foul. I’ve no idea why he gives a yellow card. We have like nine players behind the ball,” the frustrated Liverpool manager told Sky Sports after the final whistle.
According to BBC Sport, the panel considered both yellow cards when reviewing the dismissal, as required under protocol. The vote was 4:1 in support of the officials. The single dissenting view was that the foul on Anderson should not have produced the first booking. Once that yellow had been awarded, though, the panel was unanimous in backing the VAR decision not to intervene after the second caution brought about the red.
The decision carries no practical punishment beyond confirming the officials were correct. Gravenberch has already completed the one-match suspension attached to the red, missing last weekend’s trip to Brentford. Liverpool won that game without him, helped by two Brentford red cards after falling behind in the first half.
Had the panel reached the opposite conclusion, the only outcome would have been an acknowledgement of the error and a promise to improve. Match officials could also have been left out of duty for a week. That did not happen here.
Champions League
Mac Allister points to Slot-era imbalance as Iraola reshapes Liverpool
Mac Allister says Liverpool were off under Slot as Iraola’s man-to-man reset takes hold.
Alexis Mac Allister has offered a blunt assessment of Liverpool’s recent past, saying “something wasn’t right” in the squad under Arne Slot before praising the impact of the Dutchman’s successor, Andoni Iraola, for correcting it.
Liverpool began the 2025-26 campaign strongly enough to disguise deeper problems, but those issues were closely tied to the tragic death of Diogo Jota the previous summer. The team’s form then unravelled badly, eventually producing their worst run of results since the rationing period in the United Kingdom after the Second World War.
Even after repeatedly insisting his job was secure, Slot was still dismissed once he had done enough to secure Champions League qualification. Iraola, who had finished one place behind Liverpool with Bournemouth on far fewer resources, was appointed soon afterwards.
The transition has not been seamless. Liverpool have moved away from the control-first approach of the previous regime and towards the more chaotic style associated with Iraola. The progress has not followed a straight line, but the overall trend has been upwards.
Mac Allister underlined that change after scoring twice in Tuesday’s 4-3 Champions League win over Villarreal. “Something wasn’t right in the group and this manager changed it,” he told Amazon Prime. “The way we play is different, I don’t like to compare,” he added, while making a fairly stark comparison.
Iraola himself acknowledged there were issues to address when he arrived. “When I came here, the owners told me everything is not perfect,” he admitted.
Defensive structure had clearly been one of the main concerns. Liverpool’s total of 53 Premier League goals conceded was their worst in the competition since 1993-94.
Iraola’s answer has been a major tactical overhaul. Instead of organising Liverpool around set zones within a defined shape, he has asked them to press opponents directly in a man-to-man system.
“Now it’s more man-to-man,” Mac Allister explained. “You have to communicate less. Last year, it was more like a zonal thing. I like both. In the national team, we do zonal and it works. It’s about us taking the responsibility. It’s one of the changes. Now it’s easier, you think less but run more.”
Liverpool
Alexander-Arnold’s Real Madrid move has turned into a difficult second act
Alexander-Arnold’s move to Real Madrid has stalled, and Mourinho now prefers others on the right.
Just weeks after saying farewell to Liverpool, Trent Alexander-Arnold was unveiled by Real Madrid speaking fluent Spanish and holding a white No. 12 shirt. There was no visible hesitation. At the podium, with reporters and club president Florentino Pérez watching on, he looked ready to leave Anfield behind and step into a new era at the Bernabéu.
Two years on, that promise has not been realised. The player once regarded as the world’s best right back has found life in Madrid far harder than expected, and his progress has stalled badly.
Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp summed up Alexander-Arnold’s standing in 2024 when he said: “He is one of these stories that not a lot of clubs can write, but he is someone people will talk about in 20, 30 and 40 years,”
During Klopp’s nine years in charge, Liverpool won eight trophies with Alexander-Arnold in the side, including the 2018–19 Champions League and the 2019–20 Premier League. His right foot became central to that success, through free kicks and long passes that gave Liverpool a unique edge. Even when his defensive limitations were discussed, his creativity usually offset them.
He was also made vice-captain, which seemed to place him on a clear path to the Liverpool armband. A boyhood player who joined at the age of six, he had every reason to become the club’s next leader. Yet the lure of Real Madrid proved stronger, and the debate around his departure grew louder as the 2024–25 season went on and he still had not signed a new deal.
Liverpool were winning the league under Arne Slot, but Alexander-Arnold’s future dominated the conversation. After 20 years and 354 appearances, he left for a different challenge, and the consequences have been severe.
Real Madrid hurried to bring him in before the 2025 Club World Cup, but injury denied him a semifinal appearance against Paris Saint-Germain. That turned out to be an early warning. He made only five appearances in 2025–26 before a hamstring injury in September, then a muscle tear in December, disrupted his season. Real Madrid also lost their La Liga lead, lost the Spanish Super Cup final, dismissed Alonso and exited the Copa del Rey.
By the end of the campaign, Madrid were trophyless and Alexander-Arnold had managed 30 appearances and five assists.
His troubles continued when Thomas Tuchel left him out of England’s 2026 World Cup squad. England finished third without him.
Now, in 2026/27, Alexander-Arnold is still struggling to establish himself. Preseason suggested a reset, especially with Dani Carvajal no longer blocking his route, but José Mourinho has preferred Denzel Dumfries. In Real Madrid’s 11 games this season, Alexander-Arnold has been an unused substitute five times.
Mourinho has also turned to Federico Valverde at right back, a choice that underlines the lack of trust in the Englishman. After the 4–1 win over Sevilla, Mourinho said: “It’s not easy for a coach to leave two quality right backs on the bench, but I thought it would be very useful to have a right back with legs and quality to play behind Endrick.”
The issue is that the explanation fits Dumfries more than Alexander-Arnold. For all the scrutiny he has faced, his attacking quality has never been in doubt. Yet at Real Madrid, that quality is still not enough to secure his place.
