Perhaps he’s looking to make a point to the recently departed England manager, Gareth Southgate.
By Sam McGuire
The Liverpool right-back was in the starting XI for the Three Lions – as a midfielder – at the start of Euro 2024 but was soon dropped to the bench. Southgate didn’t appear to trust him enough at full-back, opting for Kyle Walker there instead.
England made it to the final but lost 2-1 to Spain. They struggled to create anything in Berlin, finishing the game with an Expected Goals Total of 0.53. Alexander-Arnold watched on from the bench for the entire match.
That could well be the driving force behind his start to the campaign.
He might be looking to silence those who felt he’d struggle without Jürgen Klopp as his manager at club level. The 25-year-old has been described by some as a system player. The theory is that had Klopp not made him such an integral part of his team, he might not be viewed as the creative force he is today.
The contract situation might be playing a part in these early season showings. Alexander-Arnold is into the final 12 months of his deal at Anfield. If he’s to sign a new deal with the Reds, he’ll no doubt feel he’s done enough to justify earning the same sort of money as Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah. His outings in the opening three games of the Premier League season purely serve as a reminder of what he’s capable of and why, despite being a defender, he’s very much a difference-maker.
There is a world in which this form is a subtle message to Real Madrid too. The reigning European champions are believed to be interested in him and are exploring the possibility of bringing him to the club on a free transfer next summer. Despite uncertainty surrounding his future, he’s still performing to a high level. That’ll be acknowledged and appreciated in Madrid.
Whatever the reason for it, it has been a positive for both Liverpool and England.
Yes, the sample size isn’t the largest so you shouldn’t get carried away just yet, but these showings should not be overlooked or taken for granted.
Interim Three Lions boss Lee Carsley named him as the right-back in his starting XI for both games played during the international break. Against Ireland, the full-back played the pass of the match to set up Anthony Gordon. He carved out two big chances as England claimed a 2-0 win. He finished the game with the second-highest Expected Assists total.
Carsley put his faith in the Scouser and he was rewarded for it. The Liverpool academy graduate finished with a FotMob rating of (8.0). Only the two goalscorers, Declan Rice (9.1) and Jack Grealish (8.3) could boast a higher total. Speaking after the match, Carsley praised the EE Man-of-the-Match.
“That’s one of the things we try with all of the players, getting the best out of them and putting them into familiar positions that they’re playing at their clubs,” Carsley told the media afterwards.
“If you see Trent playing for Liverpool this season, it’s very similar to the way we asked him to play, in terms of when we built, he often went central, with Kobbie Mainoo and Declan Rice a little bit higher or wider. I think what we’ve noticed, especially within the pathway of players we’ve got, is that full-backs now are almost like midfield players, they’ve got all the attributes of midfielders and Trent definitely fits into that bracket.
“I thought he was very good, I thought he got a little bit tired at the end but I thought it was a positive performance.”
Alexander-Arnold then went on to play the full 90 minutes against Finland, at Wembley, setting up the first of Harry Kane’s two goals on the night and creating five chances in total, the most of any one on the pitch. This time, only Kane, England’s captain could beat Alexander-Arnold’s 8.6 FotMob rating.
At club level, as Carsley noted, Alexander-Arnold has been just as impactful.
He ranks joint-second in the Premier League for Expected Assists this season with 1.5. Only Kevin De Bruyne (1.6) has been more creative than the Liverpool defender.
The No. 66 ranks second within the Liverpool squad for Chances Created (seven) and Big Chances Created (three). Only Dominik Szoboszlai (eight) and Mohamed Salah (four) prevent him from topping both of those charts.
He does, however, lead the way for Expected Assists (1.5) and Expected Assists Per 90 (0.6), though the latter is grossly inflated by the small sample size – he’s featured in just 226 minutes this term. However, it does hammer home just how influential he’s been when you realise that Salah, a man with three assists this season, has an xA90 of 0.37 while only one player in the Premier League – Dango Outtara with 0.66 – can better Alexander-Arnold’s xA90 average.
Those who doubted the 2019/20 Premier League winner, whatever their reasoning was, are looking a little foolish and he’s making a mockery of the claims that he was a system player under Klopp. He’s much more and this might finally be the season he’s widely acknowledged as one of the best in the world at what he does.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every game from the Premier League on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.