Jurgen Klopp will have been very pleased with Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League this week, but there were some concerns raised over the performance of Trent Alexandre-Arnold.
Roberto Firmino opened the scoring for the Reds in the 75 th minute when he glanced a perfect header into the far corner following an inswinging corner from Andrew Robertson.
Mohamed Salah then made it two when his strike wrongfooted Samir Handanovic and trickled into the back of the net.
But it was far from smooth sailing for the Premier League outfit, with Inter creating numerous openings throughout the match and it could have been a different story for Klopp’s side on another night.
The performance of Alexander-Arnold in defence was a cause for concern over the course of 90 minutes, with Inter openly targeting the England international and trying to reap the benefits of the right-back being more comfortably on the attack than defensively.
Former Manchester City defender Richard Dunne has warned that the academy product must improve defensively or he could cost his team going forward.
Speaking on Virgin Media, Dunne said: “For a team to target one of your players and one of your wings is unusual at this level,
“Inter, straight from the start, they thought Ivan Perisic had the better of whoever it may be coming down that right-hand side, mostly Alexander-Arnold.
“Literally everything at the start of the second half came down Inter’s left and Alexander-Arnold, each time he was caught out of position he was ball-watching.
“He was in when he should have been out, he was out when he should have been in. He was all over the place and the problem for Inter was that they lacked that quality with the final ball.”
This isn’t the first time that a former pro has been concerned by the 23-year-old defensively, though he hasn’t struggled significantly this season – though previously there have been major doubts.
Without a doubt, Alexander-Arnold is one of the best crossers in the world and his ability to pick a pass is right up there too, but when playing in a back four, the emphasis will be just as much on his defensive attributes.
Dunne continued: “He needs to be switched on a bit quicker, he could probably be a little bit more physical in his defending at times as well.
“It’s so obviously clear what Inter have done. He should have given himself an extra yard. If Inter’s final ball had a little bit more quality, they could have scored on numerous occasions.”
Although it would mean sacrifice a man in midfield, Alexander-Arnold possesses the skill set of a perfect wingback and it could tempt Klopp into reconsidering his system going forward.
Of course, having Virgil van Dijk in central defence is a ‘get out of jail free’ card – and Ibrahima Konate and Joel Matip are also quality defenders – but against quality opposition, there is no room for error.
And, with no disrespect, Inter are no world beaters. Liverpool will face far better sides if they progress through the competition,
Equally, if the Reds are to close the gap on Manchester City in the Premier League then they will need to be flawless in all areas of the pitch, and thus they will be hoping that Alexander-Arnold’s display was simply a blip rather than an issue being highlighted.
The return leg of the Champions League tie should provide a clearer indication of how effective pressing Liverpool’s right-hand side can be.
