Arne Slot has engineered a dream start to this strange post-Jurgen Klopp world, but one of his minor foibles during the early weeks has proved to be a lack of rotation as Liverpool head coach in the Premier League.
However, aside from one bitter blemish inflicted at Anfield by Nottingham Forest, Liverpool head into the October international break atop the league table after defeating Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in the weekend’s early kick-off.
It wasn’t quite a Jekyll-and-Hyde performance, but Liverpool failed to turn their sparkling early dominance into a handsome lead, instead shielding from Eagles swoops in the latter stages by holding onto their one-goal advantage, courtesy of a fine finish from Diogo Jota before ten minutes were on the clock.
It was a performance that saw some pleasing rotations. Cody Gakpo, earning his first starting berth of the league campaign, earned the assist after driving forward, riding the crest of some fluid play, and sweeping a cross-box ball into the vicinity of Jota, whose predatory instincts kicked in.
Curtis Jones also replaced Dominik Szoboszlai, whose indefatigable running has perhaps left him unable to play every three days, week in, week out.
Now, this may appear a little brazen, but Slot might find that the win in south London showed to him that even the club’s most super of stars are not nailed on from the outset, and indeed, Trent Alexander-Arnold might just be droppable.
Trent Alexander-Arnold's performance v Palace
Make no mistake, Alexander-Arnold was nowhere near being poor at Selhurst Park, offering some interesting balls forward while standing strong in defensive moments.
Minutes played
90
Goals
0
Assists
0
Touches
85
Shots (on target)
2 (1)
Accurate passes
42/60 (70%)
Key passes
2
Possession lost
25x
Dribbles (completed)
0 (0)
Tackles
2
Interceptions
1
Clearances
1
Total duels (won)
5 (3)
Alexander-Arnold has now created 15 big chances in the Premier League this season, more than any other defender, while also proving himself to be a refined defensive presence, by winning three duels, making two tackles and one well-timed clearance against Palace.
However, he didn’t quite look his natural self when on the ball, failing with nine of his ten attempted long balls and ceding possession 25 times.
He’s not perfect, but luckily, Liverpool have the perfect foil waiting in the wings. Conor Bradley deserves a shot from the outset sooner rather than later.
Why Trent is now droppable for Slot's side
Might it be that a lack of contractual resolution is weighing Alexander-Arnold down, that Real Madrid’s beckoning call, football’s most tempting of its type, could be affecting his performance, as he keeps an eye helplessly lingering on the Spanish capital?
Alexander-Arnold is one of Liverpool’s best players. He’s one of Europe’s finest playmakers and one of the Premier League’s foremost presences.
As per FBref, the England international ranks among the top 16% of full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals scored, the top 4% for assists and the top 1% for shot-creating actions, passes attempted and progressive passes per 90.
Quite simply, he offers something that full-backs otherwise do not.
That said, Bradley’s quite the young buck and has not really been afforded all that much of a chance to showcase his quality under Slot this season, having yet to start in the Premier League.
He was immense last season, bursting onto the scene during a period that saw his senior positional peer lie in recovery from a knee injury. His goal against Chelsea at the end of January is the standout memory, but Bradley proved himself to be a star across numerous performances, hailed for his “superhuman” start to life in Liverpool’s first team by The Redmen TV’s Jack Gill.
This season, he’s played five minutes in the Champions League and has been an unused substitute across the Reds’ past three league fixtures, only entering the fray in the closing stages up to now.
Now, while Alexander-Arnold offers a quality of a singular nature, his Northern Irish teammate is not too shabby in attacking situations himself, ranking among the top 19% of positional peers for goals and shot-creating actions, the top 5% for assists, the top 10% for passes attempted, the top 5% for progressive carries and the top 7% for tackles per 90.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
He’s more energetic and driven in his approach, while he is capable of sparking a barnstorming counter as he ploughs down the wing, wreaking confusion and concern for his adversaries.
Thus, if Slot chooses to apply it with greater regularity, he could offer Liverpool a more dynamic approach to their play, opening up a different dimension to overlap and deal with that pesky low block – not that Trent’s celestial range of passing isn’t capable of unlocking a stiff defence.
Alexander-Arnold is a tremendous player and one of Liverpool’s very best, but he proved against Palace that he’s not undroppable and that perhaps, in certain situations, the bold move of offering a different kind of outlet might bear the riper fruits.
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