“His arms were strong” – Kaoru Mitoma defends under-fire Liverpool star during interview

Brighton & Hove Albion winger Kaoru Mitoma has defended Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold amid heavy criticism. The Japanese ace claims the English right-back is strong and not as defensively weak as fans think.

Brighton have faced Liverpool thrice this season and they remain unbeaten. They defeated the Reds twice last month - 3-0 in the Premier League and 2-1 in the FA Cup. Mitoma scored an injury-time winner in the latter.

In an interview with SPOTV, Mitoma was asked about the best defenders he has faced in one vs one duel. He named Keigo Tsunemoto and Hotaka Nakamura first before adding Alexander-Arnold to the mix. He said:

"Well, before coming overseas I was in Japan so it would be players from Meiji University such as Keigo Tsunemoto (currently playing for Kashima Antlers) and Hotaka Nakamura (FC Tokyo). Because I've played against them often, they know the features of my play well and I was stopped many times."

Speaking about the Reds defender, Mitoma added:

"When it comes to foreign players, I got past Trent Alexander-Arnold once but soon after that when I was blocked by him, his arms were strong. People tend to think that his defending seems weak but he is totally strong, from what I've felt in person."

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Liverpool star blasted and called 'Championship level' defender

Trent Alexander-Arnold has not been at his best this season and that has been one of the reasons for Liverpool's downfall. The Reds are 10th in the Premier League and have been knocked out of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf took shots at the Reds defender earlier this season and labeled him a 'Championship level' defender. He told Journal du Dimanche:

"Look at Trent Alexander-Arnold. I love the guy, his offensive qualities. But defensively, he's Championship level. Only Klopp's system works for him. When it doesn't work as well as it has this season, all you see is his defensive shortcomings."

He added:

"I want to take him with me to work on the basics. I would say to him: 'Turn your head and look behind you, it will be better already'. It was Roberto Carlos who deformed generations of defenders."

Liverpool face Everton in the Merseyside derby on Monday (February 13) at Anfield in the Premier League.