‘There has been a spotlight’: Liverpool player is absolutely correct in honest assessment of his form

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Trent Alexander-Arnold shared his opinion of his defending this week. The Liverpool right-back has come under a lot of criticism.

Trent Alexander-Arnold has come under fire this season. There’s a belief that the Liverpool player can’t defender – or at least, can’t defend anywhere near the level a right-back should.

That belief has seen Alexander-Arnold’s stock plummet during a spell of poor form. Liverpool as a whole have struggled, with the Scouser taking more criticism than anyone.

The debate over his actual ability led to some believing the 24-year-old shouldn’t be in the England squad, let alone the starting XI. But what does Alexander-Arnold think? He talked to ITV about his defending and form this season, opening up on it for the first time.

“It is not the best football I have ever played,” said Alexander-Arnold. “Probably not the worst, either. Just somewhere in the middle, which is not amazing, not the worst. It could be a lot better.

“I would say there has been a lot of spotlight on my defending and a massive magnifying glass on this aspect of my game. I would say for me, obviously, like any part of my game, there are improvements to be made.

“There were instances where I could have made better decisions but at the same time, there have been instances I have defended really well.

“I think a lot of people like to shout about the mistakes and the ones I could have done better in rather than the ones I defended well. You defend three things well, one bad, they have a big chance and I have had a bad defensive game.”

Trent Alexander-Arnold shares opinion on his defending

There is no question that Alexander-Arnold is not the world’s greatest defender. It’s not the area in which he excels and he’s far more of an attacking right-back.

However, much of the criticism is ridiculous. He has been exposed and isolated this season as Liverpool’s press broke down. The entire defence, including Fabinho, has felt the brunt of that.

The reality is that Alexander-Arnold was a consistent part of the Premier League’s best defence over the last few years. Liverpool conceded the fewest goals in 2019, 2020 and 2022. It is impossible to do that if you have a liability in your defence.

It is perfectly possible, then, to build a world-class defence with Alexander-Arnold in it. Not only that but he boasts more big-game experience than any other English right-back by far.

If you want to pick another right-back ahead of him, that’s fine. Opinions are opinion. But the idea that he can’t play knockout games or even big games is demonstrably false. No, he’s not in his best form this season but Alexander-Arnold remains one of the world’s best.