There are many styles of football and phrases in the game which carry negative connotations.
One of the most derided is ‘long ball’, a two-word term which instantly conjures images of teams launching the ball forward from the back in the hope their target man can hold it up and bring others to play.
The fact Burnley average the most long passes per game in the Premier League this season, with Watford tucked in behind them, does little to quell this line of thinking.
Yet if you check which side completes the most that travel at least 25 yards (which is the Opta definition of a long ball) then you will see Liverpool leading the way.
Not that the Reds have ever been averse to using such passes when required.
“It’s not about the long ball or the short ball, it’s about the right ball,” was the verdict of Bob Paisley, and if that’s good enough for a three-time European Cup winning manager, who can hope to argue?
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That line of thinking clearly remains embedded at the club. The one outfielder in the top 20 players from Europe’s big five leagues for attempting long passes this season is Trent Alexander-Arnold ( per FBRef ).
The Liverpool right-back gave a brilliant example of his ability during the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea.
The Reds’ first shot following Joel Matip’s disallowed goal came about after Alexander-Arnold hit a sublime long pass to Luis Diaz.
Although the Colombian’s effort was saved by the impressive Edouard Mendy, it would prove to be Liverpool’s final clear-cut chance of the match.
Alexander-Arnold had better luck in the semi-final win at Arsenal, with his excellent long pass putting Diogo Jota through to score the second goal and end the tie as a contest.
And though it didn’t directly result in a goal, a similar pass between the two players ultimately resulted in a penalty for Liverpool in their recent 3-1 victory at Crystal Palace.
While an ability to stretch the play in an instant with a long pass has always been a part of Trent’s game, both the frequency and impact of such deliveries have improved in 2021/22.
The percentage of his long balls which were accurate was consistently between 43 and 46 percent in each of the last four campaigns, where this season it has moved up to 52 percent.
That may not sound like much of a shift, but as he is also attempting more long passes per 90 minutes than in three of the last four seasons (and the same as in 2019/20), the number of them which find teammates each match has gone up quite a bit.
When the recipients include Diaz and Jota, not to mention Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, Alexander-Arnold’s long range passing proves to be a significant asset.
Liverpool’s number 66 has created 27 chances in the Premier League with long balls this season. While it’s partly a tactical choice by Mikel Arteta, that’s only seven fewer than the entire Arsenal squad.
More notably, it’s at least 10 more than any other player in England’s top flight, and the second most if we include France, Germany, Italy and Spain in the conversation too.
It’s also seven more than Alexander-Arnold created last season, and as his rate per 90 minutes is higher, he should overtake his previous high of 36 from the Reds’ title winning 2019/20 campaign.
Much has been made of Trent’s shift in positioning this season. Where he was traditionally found on the flank, he has been moving to within the width of the penalty box far more frequently and creating with through balls from there.
But he has clearly been more influential over longer distances than in the past too.
People may soon be rightly asking if there’s anything he can’t do.
