Trent Alexander-Arnold has started the Premier League season on fire. Liverpool’s no.66 is shining brightly.
Trent Alexander-Arnold had a strange campaign last time. He didn’t really get going until March, struggling for form amidst a Liverpool injury crisis.
That resulted in being left out of the England squad ahead of Euro 2020. We thought it was a bizarre decision at the time and Alexander-Arnold showed it to be just that.
His form post-snub was magnificent. He even managed to equal a decade-old Steven Gerrard record.
Unsurprisingly, Alexander-Arnold was back in the England setup soon afterwards. Injury did keep him out of the Euros, however.
The question, though, was whether the 22-year-old could carry his fantastic form into the new season. The answer is a resounding yes.
Alexander-Arnold starts season on fire
We’ll get the ‘defensive liability’ part out of the way, given that’s where most people seem to go when discussing how good Alexander-Arnold is. He’s played every minute, in which Liverpool have conceded one goal in three games.
And it wasn’t a goal he could really do anything about. If he’s a liability, teams aren’t taking advantage of it very well.
But as for the serious stuff, Alexander-Arnold is just thriving. He may only have the one assist to his name – though, it was brilliant – but the underlying numbers are fantastic.
He created 15 chances over the first three games, including a massive seven against Burnley. That’s 50% more than any other player. You could just count the chances he’s created from short passes and Alexander-Arnold would still be joint-best in the league.
His figure is just one behind Leicester City as a whole and two behind Crystal Palace.
For more perspective, Alexander-Arnold has already equalled what Oleksandr Zinchenko managed in 20 appearances last season. He’s 50% of the way to Ben Chilwell’s 20/21 total and over a third of the way to Reece James’s.
Alexander-Arnold is off to a flying start and if he keeps this up, more records should tumble. It’s simply spectacular just how good he is.
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