Danny Mills has claimed that Kyle Walker is a better full-back than Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Mills was speaking to Sky Sports ahead of Sunday’s clash between the Premier League’s top two. The pundit said that at the risk of upsetting Liverpool fans, he’d choose Walker as his the best in the league.
“I think if I had to pick one full-back out of the lot of them, Kyle Walker is the best,” he said. “There’ll be a lot of Liverpool fans tweeting, getting very upset with that comment.”
You bet there will, Danny!
Here we go again
Justifying his comment, Mills trotted out the well-worn line that Alexander-Arnold can’t defend as a full-back should.
“Trent going forward is exceptional, his delivery is unparalleled with a lot of players. Having said that, Kyle Walker is still very, very good going forward, but first and foremost as a full back you’re a defender and you’ve got to defend,” said Mills.
As a full-back himself, Mills does know a thing or two about playing the position. But that was years ago, when the right-back’s territory basically stopped at the half-way line.
The role has changed drastically in the years since Mills was playing. It has then changed again as Trent has redefined the way a full-back can influence the game.
Of course, there has to be a degree of defensive capability when playing in a back four. But, contrary to popular belief, there is no question that Alexander-Arnold is more than capable of defending for his team.
You can’t win titles consistently without a great defence. Liverpool have one of the best around and have done for a number of years. They have the excellence of Virgil Van Dijk, Joel Matip and Alisson Becker, but Trent has also been a part of that defence for the best part of five years.
Occasionally he is beaten by a tricky winger, but show me a full-back who isn’t.
Made for Liverpool
Despite his status as one of the best creators in world football, Mills isn’t convinced that the 23-year-old could fit into many other teams.
“The way that Liverpool are set up, it works perfectly for Trent. Can I see Trent dropping into another team other than Manchester City? I think it would be very difficult for him at the moment,” he said.
Alexander-Arnold is perfect for Klopp’s system as it has evolved in some way to be built around his attributes. We think every team on the planet would love to have the Scouser in their team.
But oh well, looks like we’ll just have to keep him for ourselves after all. Somehow, I think we’ll just about live.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
