Trent Alexander-Arnold could be one of the best players in Europe as part of Arne Slot

Reds are on top Premier League table and I follow 4-0 demolition victory against Bundesliga champions Bayer LeverkusenThey sit on top of the new look. Champions League table.

The Dutch did this by going against the rules. He did the exact opposite of what many people thought he would do to some players.

Front Slot, Darwin Nunez He was a volume merchant, averaging over four shots per 90 in the Premier League. However, now he has turned into a timid and oppressive monster.

The number 9 has averaged just 1.25 shots per 90 in limited playing time for the Reds this season. I thought I would be angry about this. Darwin was a lot of fun. I thought it would be boring if it didn’t have lots and lots of shots.

But it’s still a lot of fun, just from a different angle.

The Dutch have also changed completely Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s game.

One of the common complaints against the right-back is that he is not a good defender. This has always been exaggerated though. He does well when given defensive duties.

Problems only arise when he’s heavily exposed or expected to be in multiple places at once, but that’s not exclusive to him.

Gary Neville and his many exaggerated claims over the years haven’t helped the narrative either.

Sky Sports pundit is now pushing ‘Trent should be England’s starting right-back’ but was saying before Euro 2024 that Gareth Southgate’s men had no chance of winning anything with him because he lacked defensive instincts. favorites Kylian Mbappe, Rafael Leao or any top left wing attacker.

Very strange considering he faced these players in the Champions League and Liverpool have reached three finals under Jurgen Klopp.

He has also played a key role for the Reds, who have recorded three 90-plus point seasons in the Premier League and regularly have one of the best defensive records.

Imagine what Klopp could achieve with a good defender at right-back, right?

The latest Ian Graham book also shed some light on this particular subject.

When the Reds need a left back Andrew Robertson discussed. There was some concern about his defensive ability.

According to Graham, Klopp’s response was: “My full-backs need to attack, we can fill his defence.”

The German tactician’s focus was seemingly on getting the best out of Alexander-Arnold and Robertson. He sacrificed the likes of Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum in midfield, leaving them tasked with filling the space and protecting the full-backs.

Alexander-Arnold wasn’t necessarily the best defender. In fact, the system was not set up to show what he could do defensively. Still, he’s been evaluated on this issue time and time again by rival fans and pundits alike.

The 26-year-old player always had talent. Maybe he was missing this desire.

However, this may be due to him not being judged on his defensive achievements.

But now he wants to be the best, with his eyes on the Ballon d’Or.

He’s not just the best offensive right-back in history. The best right back in history.

And Alexander-Arnold works on the defensive side of Slot’s game. He announced this earlier in the season.

“We talked about goals and objectives and I told him that I wanted to be the defender that no one wants to face in Europe,” the No66 said. he said.

“We agreed that he would be tough on me. Whenever an attacker passes me, he will express it in meetings and individual meetings and say that this cannot happen. We study each match together, our important moments and the places he wants me to improve. Even in the Milan game, he tells me the good parts and the things I can do better. There were about 20 clips.

“It’s really refreshing to have a manager who will help me, guide me and teach me how to be better. I’m someone who wants to learn, striving to be the best ever.”

Now we see the fruits of this.

Alexander-Arnold displayed an effective defensive display against Brighton Lately. In previous years the English national team had been terrorised. Kaoru Mitoma.

He got his revenge on Saturday.

The right-hander earned a game-high eight tackles and was victorious in 12 of 16 ground duels. He was a one-man wrecking ball on the right wing.

And it was unprotected Ibou Konate after the Frenchman was substituted at half-time. In the past, the RB Leipzig man has acted as a security blanket for the No66, getting him out of trouble after being beaten.

But not this time.

Mitoma completed only three of his eight dribbling attempts. Locked by Alexander-Arnold.

He is not the first player to suffer this fate this term. Leao was not a factor Milan in the Champions League when in shape Jadon Sancho suspended at halftime Liverpool’s 2-1 win Recently against Chelsea.

Instead, Pedro NetoHe was forced to change wings to have some fun that day.

Alexander-Arnold is averaging more steals (2.5) than ever before. Before this season, his average for the Reds in the Premier League was around 1.5 per 90. In fact, he’s currently gaining more steals (1.79) than he ever attempted before.

This is a serious upgrade.

He also wins 61% of his fights. Hasn’t won more since 2020/21 (64%) and struggled more this term (2.74 vs 1.66).

He proves to be a good duelist and an excellent one-on-one defender.

The scary thing for the opponent is that this situation did not affect their offensive numbers. The expected assists (xA) per 90 average this season was 0.32 this season, while it was 0.25 in Klopp’s last year in office.

He created positions with an xA value of 3, but made only one assist this season.

Interestingly, he created just 2.02 chances per 90. This is less than last term (2.67) but shows that the chances he currently creates are of higher value. So he’s better than ever, but without the assists he’s not getting the recognition he should.

In his current form, Alexander-Arnold is arguably one of the best pure defenders in Europe. When the opportunities he creates are converted, he can be seen as one of the best players in Europe.

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