Liverpool were given an injury-scare before the March international break when Jurgen Klopp confirmed Trent Alexander-Arnold had picked up a hamstring injury. The only player in the Reds squad without a natural, senior replacement, the timing could not have been worse heading towards a make-or-break month for the club’s quadruple hopes.
Withdrawn from international duty, the right-back has posted updates on his social media of him working hard during the break as he looks to return to fitness as quickly as possible. A positive sign at least, it would appear the 23-year-old won’t be out of action for long.
But having already missed Liverpool’ s FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest, it remains to be seen just how long the defender will be out of action for. Klopp did disclose it would be ‘weeks’ rather than months when speaking at his latest pre-match press conference, but he was unable to offer any further update.
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While that might ease some Reds nerves, his lay-off still provided a reminder of how fragile Liverpool’s quadruple hopes could be if the England international were to suffer a more serious injury between now and the end of the season. And considering the April that lies in wait for them, there still also remains the possibility that Klopp will have to get by without Alexander-Arnold ’s services for a few games more yet.
The Reds are back in action at home to Watford on Saturday 2 April in a game they would be confident in navigating successfully with or without the young defender, while the Champions League draw was kind to them, presenting them with a quarter-final clash with Benfica. As such, it’s not the end of the world if the right-back missed such games.
But with Liverpool currently a point behind Man City in the title-race, the prospect of him missing their potential title-decider at the Etihad on Sunday 10 April is an unwanted one. Meanwhile, they then host Benfica in their quarter-final second leg before taking on Pep Guardiola’s side again, this time at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals.
Weeks rather than months should mean he is back for the Premier League Anfield double-header against Manchester United and Everton, and for potential involvement in the Champions League semi-finals. Yet the Reds face an anxious wait to see how many of the preceding games Alexander-Arnold will be available for.
Joe Gomez ’s performance against Forest demonstrated his capabilities as a short-term solution, while James Milner has filled the role admirably in the past. Klopp would point to the pair, along with youngster Conor Bradley, as possible solutions when confirming the defender’s lay-off, though admitted it’s a virtually impossible job to replace who he considers the best right-back in the world.
"It's tricky, we will see how long it will take,” the German told reporters. “To replace Trent is difficult but possible. We always did it. We have Milly when he is not ill anymore, we have Joe obviously, theoretically we can change system as well. We have a couple of options but he is very influential.
"But if you have a look in the past when Milly has had to step in, he did incredibly well. Incredibly well, he just has to be available and then that's fine. How Milly will be for Sunday, I don't know at the moment.
“If not, then maybe we have a very young solution which is fine as well or Joey. We will have a look but the way he plays, I don't know any player in the world who plays like Trent so it would be difficult to find a one to one replacement."
Milner missed the game against Forest through illness, but, from Klopp’s comments, seems the first-choice to replace Alexander-Arnold for the games ahead. But there is an alternative replacement that the German didn’t mention.
It’s easy to forget Fabinho started his senior career as a right-back. After all, he is now arguably one of the very best holding midfielders in the world, yet it is only from playing that position at Liverpool where he has achieved true recognition.
Making 233 appearances for AS Monaco before his 2018 move to Anfield, 96 of them would come at right-back according to Transfermarkt , with him only pushing forward into midfield on a more permanent basis during the end of his time in France. Meanwhile, he would also play as a full-back for Real Madrid Castilla and made his only appearance for the Real Madrid first team in such a role.
He’d also start his international career with Brazil as a right-back, with his first seven caps all coming in such a position and it not being until the final months of his maiden season on Merseyside, as Klopp’s men closed in on winning the Champions League, where the Selecao finally started to perceive him as a holding midfielder.
Given such experience there, surely Fabinho is also an option there. With Jordan Henderson more than capable of filling in in his ‘number six’ role and the Reds midfield well-stocked, Liverpool have the bodies to balance such a switch.
And it’s not like Klopp hasn’t used him in defence before, with the Brazilian filling in as an emergency centre-back on 27 occasions last season as the Reds struggled without Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez. However, perhaps the German has learnt from such a decision.
Liverpool’s season fell apart when they were riddled by that defensive injury crisis, with the Reds weakening their spine further by putting their best holding midfielder in defence. Once Fabinho was restored to midfield, their form picked up and Klopp’s men qualified for the Champions League. Since then, no more square pegs in round holes.
And when asked recently about how Liverpool have managed to bounce back in such style this season after last year’s disappointing campaign, the Brazilian would suggest he hadn’t enjoyed his time in defence, saying: “I didn't play centre-back anymore so this for me I think is good as well!”
Reds fans have never seen Fabinho line up at right-back for their side and, barring another defensive injury crisis, likely never will. There is an argument that he is better suited to such a role in comparison to a Milner or Gomez because of his past, but he has already made one big positional change in his career and won’t be reverting back.
Klopp has learnt his lesson from Liverpool’s failings last season. His side will already be without the best right-back in the world in the weeks ahead, he won’t now voluntarily rob them of the best holding midfielder too.
