"He’s a really poor defender" - Former Manchester United player takes shot at Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold
Former Manchester United midfielder John Giles has slammed Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold's defensive abilities.
In the last few seasons, Alexander-Arnold has often received criticism for his defending. The right-back remains one of the best creators in modern football, but his vulnerabilities have often been exposed by quality wingers. Giles was the latest to take aim at the Englishman, saying on the "Off The Ball" podcast (as quoted by HITC):
“You have the situation with the right-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold. When they (Liverpool) were playing well and attacking, he was a plus because he was brilliant at creating goals and brilliant around the ball, but now they’re not attacking so much; he’s a really poor defender; he’s not a good defender at all.”
This isn’t good enough. We need to do better, and we will. https://t.co/zQIX1rzIqu
Worryingly for the Reds, Alexander-Arnold's creativity has also taken a dip this term. Having recorded 19 assists in 47 games across competitions last season, he has managed just three assists in 31 games this time.
The drop in his offensive efficiency has quickly brought the focus onto his defending, which has never been his strong suit. Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior was the latest to expose Alexander-Arnold during Los Blancos' 5-2 UEFA Champions League win at Anfield earlier this week.
Napoli's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia also ran Alexander-Arnold ragged during the Serie A leaders' 4-1 win over the Reds in the group stage of the UEFA Champion League.
Liverpool's defence has regressed this term after stellar 2021-22 campaign
While Trent Alexander-Arnold has been caught out defensively many times this season, Liverpool's issues at the back go well beyond the Englishman. A combination of injuries to Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate, as well as generally poor performances have led to the Reds regressing quite a bit from last season.
Jurgen Klopp's side recorded 21 clean sheets in 38 Premier League games last term, conceding 26 goals. Their expected goals against (xGA) figure was 33.8 for the entire campaign.
This season, they have alarmingly let in 28 goals in 22 league games, keeping just seven clean sheets. Their xGA is already at 31.5 with 16 games still to go, providing a glimpse into their issues at the back.
Liverpool have also conceded 11 goals in seven UEFA Champions League games this season. They let in only 14 goals in 13 games in the competition last campaign.
🗣 "That was slapstick." 😳
Jurgen Klopp is critical of Liverpool's defending for conceding a "horrible goal" against Real Madrid https://t.co/vQehmcFJvg
All that has meant the Reds are eighth in the Premier League, out of both domestic cups and in need of a miracle to stay alive in the Champions League.