The right-back position has been an area of concern for Liverpool since Glenn Johnson’s departure in the summer of 2015. The Merseyside club brought in Nathaniel Clyne to replace the English full-back; however, the former Southampton wing-back’s time at Anfield has been plagued with injuries. Jurgen Klopp needed a player who could perform in his first-team on a weekly basis in the absence of Clyne. Step up, Trent Alexander-Arnold!
The 19-year-old defender announced himself to the world when he scored an outstanding free-kick on his debut against Hoffenheim in last season’s UEFA Champions League qualifier. He was quickly handed some first-team opportunities, and the English talent grabbed them with both hands, slowly but surely establishing himself in Klopp’s senior squad.
Alexander-Arnold was a constant feature for the Reds over the course of the last campaign and linked up well with Mohamed Salah down the right flank to become Klopp’s first-choice right-back. He is now starting for Liverpool week in week out and had done a great job to earn a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. The Reds teenager featured for the Three Lions in their group-stage match against Belgium but could not help his country avoid defeat on the day.
The English talent has made 46 appearances for the Merseyside giants so far and had three goals and four assists to his name. Although, Alexander-Arnold has incredible potential, yet he has often been prone to some poor decision-making in the opposition half which has sometimes let him down.
However, with Klopp looking to nurture him at Anfield, we can expect the English prospect to improve significantly this season and become a breakthrough star for the Reds. In the first match against West Ham United, the right-back did his defensive duties well to stop Felipe Anderson’s threat but offensively, his crosses from wide areas were below par and often missed its mark.
There is no doubt that Alexander-Arnold needs to take better decisions in the final third. Knowing when to make runs or when to whip a right cross would only come with age and experience. The Reds wonderkid has already shown that he has enough in his locker to keep Clyne out of the Liverpool first-team. Now can he take his game to the next level this season under the masterful guidance of Klopp?
The answer may very well be yes if he can emulate what Andrew Robertson is doing down the left flank. The Scottish left-back might be two years older than Alexander-Arnold but he has grown significantly over the past season, and it might be best for the England international to follow on the footsteps of Robertson if he wants to establish himself as one of the stars of this current Liverpool team.
