Gary Neville: Trent Alexander-Arnold must redress imbalance in his game News

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Gary Neville: Trent Alexander-Arnold must redress imbalance in his game

By Daily Sports Nigeria on October 4, 2022

Trent Alexander-Arnold's offensive impact is so great any team in the world could utilise him, but his latest poor defensive display was analysed by Gary Neville on Monday Night Football.

Last week, Jurgen Klopp launched an impassioned defence of his right-back, whose World Cup hopes appear to be hanging by a thread, but accepts England manager Gareth Southgate has a different way of playing.

The 23-year-old was called up for the two Nations League matches against Italy and Germany but was an unused substitute for one and failed to make the squad for the second.

There has been a long-running debate as to why he cannot fit into the international side, with his apparent defensive deficiencies putting him behind Manchester City's Kyle Walker, Chelsea's Reece James and Newcastle's Kieran Trippier.

These were exposed once more by Brighton during Saturday's 3-3 draw at Anfield - and Neville believes the imbalance in his game must be addressed...

I watched the goals against Brighton and there was a big conversation in Jurgen Klopp's press conference about Trent Alexander-Arnold. Klopp defended him but I feel he was involved in all three Brighton goals on Saturday.

I've wanted to do a piece on Alexander-Arnold on Monday Night Football for a long time. Trent isn't a young player any more. He's young in his age but he's actually got 250 matches for Liverpool and England. That's a mountain of games to have.

These things can be taught in training and be coached every day because I was a poor full-back at the age of 20.

What we know now is that you cannot be a full-back in the modern game without having the ability to go forward.

It's near-on impossible. There's an expectation now that you are good on the ball going forward. That's why we don't see Aaron Wan-Bissaka playing under Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.

He's not deemed as capable enough in setting up play and taking the ball into the final third. You can no longer sit here and say, 'defending is his priority, defending is his first job'.

But the balance between being a good defender and a good attacker is imperative. You can't be 70-80 per cent attacker and only 10-20 per cent defender when you are a full-back. What Trent has at the moment is an imbalance in his game.

You can have a brilliant attacking part of his game like he has, and a less competent defensive part but it needs to be one that gets you through moments in games and you have to be capable of dealing with things.

I think Trent has to work on his defending. I said it a few years ago that there was a lack of seriousness in his defending and there was a lack of alertness. At some point in his career, it will hold him back.

If Liverpool aren't in as good a period as they have been for four or five years - which is what they are at the moment - or he plays for a less superior team in possession like England, then there's going to be a greater expectation that he is going to be in a defensive position for more of the game. That's what we are seeing at the moment.

It's causing him some pain and he's only young. But it's an important juncture in his career where it's not a time to wade into him, it's not a time to give up on him.

It's a time to get right behind him as he's one of the most exceptional talents that you will ever see as a full-back on the ball.

During my Premier League career at United, I played 400 games and had 35 assists. He's had 44 assists in his last four seasons at the age of 23. It's absolutely ridiculous. What we have got here is one of the great talents this country has produced in this position.

But, I think there's an example in his own team where the balance is right in Andrew Robertson.

He goes forward, gets plenty of assists, lots of passes into his strikers and lots of good play into midfield but also he's competitive and he's good down that side in terms of his defending.

Source Sporting Sun

Posted October 4, 2022