Jurgen Klopp has decided to be proactive and use an established Pep Guardiola tactic to shape Trent Alexander-Arnold 2.0 for Liverpool.
His tactical tweak is a welcome change of tack for the head coach and one positive to take into an almighty rebuild at Anfield.
“Why would you make the best right-back in the world a midfielder? I don’t understand that really.”
Those were the brash words of Klopp in 2021 after Gareth Southgate played Alexander-Arnold in midfield for England during a World Cup qualifying cruise against Andorra.
Even against such lowly opposition Alexander-Arnold looked lost and a positional change for the right-back, whose defending has come under an increasing level of scrutiny, has not been mooted again until the past week.
Klopp has always been against transitioning Alexander-Arnold into a midfielder, despite calls from several pundits claiming this switch would enable the Englishman to highlight his creative strengths while also hiding his defensive frailties.
The 24-year-old has been exposed several times this season, but he has by no means been Liverpool’s only problem. You can easily pick faults throughout Liverpool’s defence and midfield when the team is out of possession as they have endured a major fall from grace.
The Reds – who have seemingly run out of road after their exhausting Quadruple pursuit in 2021/22 – have drifted away from what made them so strong in past campaigns, with the renowned Klopp press being pretty much non-existent.
The respected coach has a set way of playing and even while Liverpool’s campaign has drifted into disaster territory, he has stuck with what he knows and backed his players to repay his trust.
But in a refreshing twist, Klopp has become proactive in recent weeks to amend Alexander-Arnold’s role for Liverpool.
READ MORE: Liverpool don’t need Bellingham, they need more Gakpos and Jotas
Alexander-Arnold has previously been tightly shackled, with his work solely coming on the right flank. But against Arsenal and Leeds United, he has drifted into midfield alongside Fabinho to form a makeshift holding two while Liverpool are in possession.
This inverted full-back role is now a very familiar sight in the English game as it has been regularly adopted by Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and then Mikel Arteta at Arsenal.
In truth, if Alexander-Arnold was playing for Man City, Guardiola would have transitioned him far sooner than Klopp. But this does not mean it will be any…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Football365…