Trent Alexander-Arnold has been forced to defend and do little else. He’s actually pretty good at it and when he’s granted attacking freedom again he should be better than ever.
Jurgen Klopp said after Liverpool’s drubbing of Manchester United that it was a result and performance of “last seasons”, back when Liverpool were quite brilliant and United really weren’t.
And there were some throwbacks – intensity, fine finishing, midfield swarming – but also notable differences, even from last season, when they doled out a 9-0 aggregate spanking of United across their two Premier League clashes.
Among the most remarkable differences, and this is far from a one-off this season, but was particularly stark given the flurry of goals, was the lack of attacking involvement of Trent Alexander-Arnold. No goals, no assists; not even a pre-assist.
Despite four of the seven goals coming from Liverpool’s right, Alexander-Arnold was nowhere to be seen, save for the seventh, in which he played no part but was on hand in the penalty area to celebrate with Roberto Firmino. By that juncture he could resist his curbed attacking urges no longer.
Alexander-Arnold averaged an assist every 3.5 games for Liverpool before this season, and has just three in 34 appearances in this curious campaign.
When previously he would be a short pass away from Mohamed Salah, poised in space behind him to deliver a pinpoint cross or ready at any moment to overlap, Alexander-Arnold was instead seemingly fused to Ibrahima Konate in the defensive line against Manchester United, like a table football full-back.
It can’t be an accident. Klopp has clearly told Alexander-Arnold to suppress his attacking compulsion.
It was necessary, and is clearly working in Liverpool’s favour. They scored seven goals, but also kept a clean sheet – their fifth on the bounce in the Premier League.
And Alexander-Arnold stood out, not for his brilliance in the attacking third, but for his tackling, sniffing-out of danger and positioning. Alexander-Arnold had an excellent game despite contributing so little, relatively, in attack. He was operating as a run-of-the-mill full-back, defending above all.
He’s good at it. The swathes of criticism weren’t aimed at him because he couldn’t defend, but because he didn’t.
Apparently, enough was enough for Klopp. And like a parent who’s told their child they can’t have pudding before they finish their main meal only to find carrots behind the…
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