Gary Neville has highlighted 'four basics' of defending which Trent Alexander-Arnold needs to improve. The scrutiny on the Liverpool star's form is mounting after England boss Gareth Southgate recently declared Kieran Trippier currently possesses a better 'all-round' game.
Alexander-Arnold did not feature at all during England's recent Nations League fixtures, and has struggled to earn a starting spot for his country in recent years despite his sparkling form for the Reds. Reece James and Kyle Walker both featured in the defeat to Italy and the draw to Germany, with Newcastle defender Trippier an unused substitute on both occasions.
Competition for the starting right-back spot for England is fierce, with questions now raised over whether Alexander-Arnold will even earn a place in Southgate's World Cup squad next month. Trippier currently looks to be ahead of the 23-year-old in the pecking order, while also offering cover at left-back.
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Southgate's comments on Alexander-Arnold and Trippier were described as an 'insult' by talkSPORT pundit Gabby Agbonlahor, with many commentators questioning the comparison. Neville dedicated a section of Monday Night Football to evaluating Alexander-Arnold's recent performances following another poor display in the 2-2 draw with Brighton on Saturday.
The Sky Sports pundit began by highlighting the Liverpool right-back's attacking output, and went on to suggest he could go on to become the greatest every to play the position. However, Neville feels Alexander-Arnold has now reached a crucial junction in his career with 'basic' elements of his full-back play requiring improvement.
Neville told Sky Sports: "If you just look at Trent's statistics since 2018, that is absolutely obscene. Just to put that into perspective, I played 400 games in the Premier League and I had 35 assists. He's got 44 in his last four seasons at the age of 23. It is absolutely ridiculous, I can not believe those numbers.
"What we've got here is one of the great talents that this country has produced in his position. But a couple of seasons ago, I did say I thought if he continued to not be serious about his defending, there would come a point it would hurt him a little bit and he'd get some pain.
"If Liverpool weren't as good, if Jurgen Klopp left and they tried to play a different style and be a bit more defensive, with England if there were other players in his position and they don't have as much possession against excellent teams and you're in knockout competition. Just in this last seven or eight games, look at that area where Liverpool are conceding their goals.
"It's in Trent's area and where he's sat. I wanted to do this piece for a long time, not from a point of view of criticism in any way shape or form. But Trent isn't a young player anymore, he's young in his age but he's actually nearly got 250 matches for Liverpool and England.
"That's a mountain of games to have, so what surprises me still sometimes is when I watch him is three or four of the basic things of full-back play. There are lots of things, communicating, determination, aggression in your game, winning the ball back, sensing danger, all of those nuances of defending.
"But there are four basic things I think I was taught. Some of those other things I just mentioned, they are what they are and you can maybe develop them but they can't be taught those things. These things I think can be taught in training, and coached every single day.
"I know I was a very poor full-back at the age of 20, I'd been a centre-back, I couldn't defend one-on-ones, I didn't know how to hold my position on that side, I didn't know where my distances should be. I certainly didn't know where my body shape should be, and I had to learn all of those things over a two to three-year period.
"In transition, you have to go forward now as a full-back, you have to sprint back. He doesn't always sprint back, in fact he ambles back at times. In one-on-one defending, you have to keep your position low and crouched.
"Body shape should be open when the ball is on the opposite side of the pitch, these are areas where you will concede goals as a full-back. Then when you're in the box, you've got to scan and rotate your head."
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