Trent Alexander-Arnold has firmly changed the narrative that had built up around him and his defensive frailties prior to the World Cup break.
Jamie Carragher was full of praise for his fellow Scouser after another barnstorming midfield performance that saw him rack up a goal to kill off proceedings against a very weak Leicester outfit.
“He looks right now as if he’s absolutely over the moon that he’s playing in midfield,” the former Reds centre-half told Sky Sports (via Football Daily).
“He looks faster, more energetic. He just looks like it’s given him a new lease of life. That’s what it feels like to me.
“He’s been a revelation, the stats can show that. In terms of watching his overall game, he looks re-energised.”
Jurgen Klopp’s decision to invert his most creative fullback has evidently paid dividends, with the Merseysiders recording seven wins from as many fixtures.
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Do we need to move on from the ‘poor defender’ debate?
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s defending in the opening half of the campaign without question left much to be desired.
That coupled with his seemingly limited offensive output – the right-back didn’t register a first assist until against Brentford in the new year – has left some commentators like Gary Neville wondering if we can even class the player as one of the greatest fullbacks of all time.
The fact remains that we can’t separate his prior performances this term from the downward trend suffered by the side as a whole, with key figures like Virgil van Dijk also struggling.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s game by numbers vs. Leicester:
125 touches
67 passes completed
5 long balls completed
3 crosses completed
3 ground duels won
3 dribbles completed
1 key pass
1 goalAnother excellent performance. 💫 pic.twitter.com/TA2Fkc3Jaq
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) May 15, 2023
It’s rather telling of our No.66’s quality too that our performances have drastically improved since he was encouraged to push into the midfield when in possession.
As far as his defensive contributions are concerned, Trent has proven the perfect supporting act for Fabinho, helping the Brazilian control his space better, whilst a more reserved Andy Robertson has ensured that Liverpool have the manpower in the backline to cover.
Why did it take so long 😞