"A great subplot for the Premier League" - Rio Ferdinand chooses between Chelsea's Reece James and Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold
Former Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand has claimed that Chelsea defender Reece James is currently a better all-round player than under-fire Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.
James, who rose through the ranks at Chelsea, helped new Blues head coach Graham Potter record his first-ever UEFA Champions League win on Wednesday. The 22-year-old registered a goal and an assist in a 3-0 win over AC Milan at Stamford Bridge on October 5.
Reece James makes scoring goals look easy for a right-back 😤 https://t.co/GqVcRozyoC
Alexander-Arnold, 23, also stole headlines earlier this week with a brilliant free-kick goal in Liverpool's 2-0 win against Rangers in a UEFA Champions League Group A clash at Anfield on Tuesday (October 4). He has recently come under fire for his poor defensive displays for his club.
Speaking to BT Sport (via Daily Mail), Ferdinand asserted that James' defensive abilities put him ahead of Alexander-Arnold. He said:
"On the ball, I believe he [James] is equally as good as Trent, but defensively he is a notch up in one versus one situations. That's the difference between them at the moment. It is a great subplot for the Premier League."
He continued:
"The best players have a rivalry and they will push each other. In my eyes, Reece is ahead right now, but Trent will come out of this spell and that could change."
Overall, James has scored 11 goals and laid out 21 assists in 132 matches for the Blues. Alexander-Arnold, on the other hand, has netted 15 goals and contributed 62 assists in 237 matches for the Reds.
Trent Alexander-Arnold isn't listening to the criticism 🤫 https://t.co/rzAp3No5lj
Analyzing James' performance against AC Milan, Ferdinand added:
"He was up against [Rafael] Leao, and if he didn't know, Reece James knew after 10 mins he was in for a tough night. I was screaming up here, James faces him up and gets left early. Then he is worrying."
He continued:
"But in the second half, he decided he would be aggressive, didn't let Leao behind, took the ball, then Leao knew he was in for a fight. He also said I'll defend you but I'll go the other way too."
While Chelsea will next host the struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday (October 8), Liverpool will next lock horns with Premier League leaders Arsenal away from home on Sunday (October 9).
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Bellingham, 19, has three years left on his contract at Signal Iduna Park. He has registered 14 goals and 20 assists in 102 matches for the Bundesliga giants.