Jurgen Klopp might be better off moving Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold into midfield after all.
That’s the view of former Reds striker John Aldridge. Writing in his column for the Liverpool Echo, Aldridge admitted that although he’d always pushed against a change of position for Trent, he’s now coming round to the idea.
“There wouldn’t be any harm in looking at Trent in that position [centre-midfield] for future reference. Some of his touches and some of his play was absolutely top drawer in there [against Arsenal].
“He’s a player, I’ve seen him play in midfield for Liverpool Under-21s and in the Academy in his early years. He can play in there. Having seen him in that sort of position and how comfortable he was, you wonder how far Jurgen might take it and if he’ll have a real look at him in midfield for future reference.
“I don’t know, it’s an interesting one because earlier on, last season, I’d have said ‘Nah, stick to right-back,’ because he was that good there. But there’s no harm in having a little look because in midfield we need him.”
Now or never for Trent in midfield
Although there have been calls for Alexander-Arnold to be tried in midfield for years, we’re completely with Aldo on this one. In previous seasons, there’s been absolutely no need to change things.
Since his emergence in 2017 up until the end of last campaign, Trent has been one of the best right-backs in the world. His defensive reliability has always been a question mark, but it’s never been a huge issue up until now.
This season, that has started to change. With opposition teams targeting him more and more, Alexander-Arnold has been found out a little too often. Meanwhile, his effectiveness going forward has also taken a hit.
Of course, this dip could just be a temporary thing. Like most of his teammates, the 24-year-old has played an awful lot of football in recent years. Perhaps it’s all just caught up with him and Trent will be back at his best next year.
But with the Scousers’ dip coinciding with Liverpool needing a change in midfield, it would seem like a good chance for Klopp to experiment.
He did that a little on Sunday, with Trent playing much more inverted than we’ve probably ever seen him in a red shirt. The results were pretty good, with the England man able to dictate play and get on the ball more. As one of Liverpool’s most potent weapons, the more they can get Trent’s right foot on the ball, the better. We still feel it isn’t something Jurgen wants to stick with long-term, but if he’s ever going to do it, now is definitely the time.