Former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson has insisted that recent criticism of Trent Alexander-Arnold has been over the top.
Speaking to Goal, Johnson said the Liverpool right-back has been facing too much criticism and is still one of the best around.
“He’s one of the best players in the Premier League. What’s happened is that he has set the bar so high, that any time he’s not at his best, people are desperate to jump down his throat. People need to lay off him. Back off a bit, remember he’s still super-young and give him a bit of time to get back to his best,” said the former England man.
“You don’t lose your class overnight, and Trent has loads of it. Everybody is better at one or the other [attacking or defending]. But we don’t want to see Trent sitting back like an old-style right-back, because then you lose all his amazing attributes going forward. It’s about learning the middle ground and picking the right moments to really commit.”
Johnson doubles down on Alexander-Arnold stance
Johnson has firmly nailed his colours to the mast as a supporter of Alexander-Arnold. This is the second time in a week he’s come out to publicly defend the Liverpool man.
And well he might. Throughout his career, Johnson faced similar accusations to those that Trent is finding levelled at him today.
Specifically, that relates to having the audacity to focus on attacking as a full-back. As per critics of both Johnson and Alexander-Arnold, a full-back should primarily be a defender.
Johnson tended to laugh off such a notion during his playing days. Although he wasn’t as gifted as Trent, he was still a real weapon going forward.
A lot of what is expected of a full-back has changed since Glen’s playing days. You get the feeling he’d have excelled much more in a Jurgen Klopp team than a Rafa Benitez one.
Some of that is down to Alexander-Arnold himself. Along with Andy Robertson, he has really given a new meaning to the role the full-back can play.
As a result, when he drops below the level we expect of him, criticism is bound to come.
It has felt a little much over recent weeks, particularly in light of him being left out of the England squad this week. But Liverpool’s No.66 will surely bounce back. He’s too good not to.
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