Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold looked more fired up than ever before against Arsenal on Sunday.
That’s according to BBC pundit Chris Sutton. Speaking on BBC 5 Live’s Monday Night Club, Sutton claimed that he’d never seen Trent as pumped as he was at Anfield this weekend.
“I’ve never seen Trent Alexander-Arnold fired up like he was, and emotional,” said the pundit. “He’s taken a bit of flak this season for the defensive aspects of the game, I’ve never seen him fired up like that.
“He was rousing the crowd up, and really pumped up, it fed through the stadium. The crowd really got stuck in and their message to the players was you have to fight.”
With Trent fired up and the crowd ready to go to war, Liverpool fought back from two down and could easily have won the game. More of the same for the rest of the season, please lad!
Trent looking to channel his competitive nature
If Sutton has never seen Alexander-Arnold playing with a little bit of anger, then he hasn’t been watching closely enough.
It’s true that Liverpool’s right-back can often look a little lackadaisical, especially with his defensive intensity. But that doesn’t mask the fact that the 24-year-old is ultra competitve.
His attitude and application have been questioned throughout this season, and his body language hasn’t been good at times. But for a player who’s been used to success in his career to this point, can you expect Trent to look pleased?
This season will have hurt him more than a number of others in the Liverpool squad. Personally he’s been scrutinised probably more than any other one of his teammates. You couldn’t blame him for getting a cob on.
But the key to rediscovering Alexander-Arnold’s best form may well lie in turning that into something positive. The right-back often plays his best football when the stakes are high. He thrives on proving just how good he is.
When Granit Xhaka stupidly left something on Trent towards the end of the first-half on Sunday, the Arsenal man inadvertently lit that fuse. From that point onwards Trent was brilliant. It was fitting that he made the equaliser, and would have topped things off had Ibrahima Konate bundled home Darwin Nunez’s knockdown from his beautiful pass.
For Arsenal – and Xhaka – the message was clear: you won’t like Trent when he’s angry. Let’s hope it’s a sign of things to come between now and May 28th.