Trent Alexander-Arnold was slammed for his ‘sloppy’ passing during tonight’s friendly win over Darmstadt.
The Reds ran out 3-1 winners against the Bundesliga side, with Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz getting the goals. It was a decent final run-out of the summer for Liverpool as they prepare to face Chelsea on Sunday.
But it wasn’t all positive. Having seen a pass go awry from Alexander-Arnold in his own defensive third, LFCTV pundit Gary Gillespie singled the full-back out.
“Not for the first time tonight. A sloppy pass from Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk has come to rescue of the Liverpool full-back,” said the co-commentator.
“It was a sloppy pass.” Fix up, Trent!
Trent draws pre-season criticism
For Liverpool to have any kind of success this season, the form of Alexander-Arnold is going to be absolutely crucial.
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Arguably, the full-back’s form has more impact than any of his teammate’s on the Reds at both ends of the pitch.
If he’s on it with his passing, then Liverpool have one of the best weapons in the Premier League. Trent can pick a pass like few other footballers on the planet.
But if he isn’t quite at his best, then the Reds can be ever so exposed. Fail to pull his weight defensively, and Alexander-Arnold can leave Liverpool wide open and vulnerable.
Last season, we saw a little too much of the latter. As the Reds sagged and struggled, Trent looked like a liability at times.
Most of that was due to his failure to stop one-on-ones and a reluctancy to track runners. It was rare that it was with the ball at his feet that he let Liverpool down.
Tonight, according to Gillespite, was a rare exception to that. As long as he doesn’t take it into the season though, we’ll let him off for that. Better days to come, no doubt.