TalkSPORT pundit Jamie O’Hara has claimed that Liverpool play better when Trent Alexander-Arnold isn’t in the team.
Speaking via the radio station’s Twitter page earlier this morning, O’Hara claimed that the Reds look stronger defensively without Trent.
“One thing I would say is they look a lot stronger defensively without Trent in the team,” said the pundit. “I just look at Liverpool and we’ve talked about what do Liverpool need to do this season, have they lost their spark, they haven’t been good defensively, conceding goals.
“All of a sudden Trent picked up a bit of a knock, comes out the team, they beat Rangers 7-1 and then they beat Man City 1-0, and you think ‘actually, defensively they look good again, they look solid.”
Liverpool show they do know how to defend
It’s certainly true that Liverpool looked far better defensively on Sunday. There had been fears that Manchester City may tear through the Reds at will. But that didn’t happen.
Whether or not that is down to Alexander-Arnold’s absence is certainly debatable. It may have been a factor, sure. James Milner isn’t going to get forward quite as much as Trent and as a result won’t vacate the space.
But more than that, it perhaps meant that Harvey Elliott and Joe Gomez in particular were more ready to help Milner out. With Trent in there, the Liverpool players rightly back him to make the right decisions.
With Milner not a natural right-back though, it makes sense that he was afforded more protection. Ironically, if the same protection were handed to Liverpool’s No.66 every game, perhaps the Reds would be higher up in the table.
Alexander-Arnold not being on the pitch was not the main reason for Liverpool’s solidity, though. Indeed, Liverpool have kept many a clean sheet against many a good side with him on the pitch, believe it or not.
Instead, the Reds shutout owed much more to the raising of standards of both Virgil Van Dijk and Gomez.
Both have been below-par at times this season. But against City, both brought their A-game. When these two defenders do that at the same time, there aren’t many better partnerships in Europe.
Judging by his late cameo at Anfield, Alexander-Arnold is likely to be back in for tomorrow’s clash with West Ham. After Liverpool found their defensive feet again, all eyes will once again be on the £160k-a-week man to continue that.
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