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Liverpool are currently top of the Premier League table ahead of last season's champions Manchester City and are preparing to face Bayern Munich in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League. To many Liverpool fans, this season has so far been a big success and a Premier League trophy at the end of the season would be the pinnacle of it all.
A lot of players in the Liverpool team have consistently performed well throughout the season but one player who has received less praise despite being one of the key players for Jurgen Klopp is the young Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Trent has been a reliable member of the squad since last season and he has continued with the same world-class performances this season. This made him be shortlisted to the 2018 European Golden Boy award where he only lost to Matthijs de Ligt of Ajax.
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Alexander-Arnold does not get the respect and recognition that he deserves because of his position in the pitch but there is no doubt that he deserves to be in the same bracket as Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, de Ligt and others. This is why:
The making of Trent
Trent’s first ever Premier League start for Liverpool's first team is something that he will always remember. Having been drafted into the Liverpool team as a late replacement for the first choice right-back Nathaniel Clyne, Trent was tasked with the responsibility of marking Anthony Martial against Manchester United at Old Trafford on 15 January 2017.
The then 18-year-played with the same confidence that he was known for bombarding up and down the wings supporting both the attack and defence. The teenager did nothing wrong in one of the most fierce ties in English football.
A back injury to Clyne in the 2017/18 season gave the youngster the time and freedom to establish himself as one of the key players in Klopp's squad. By the end of the Champions League game against Napoli at Anfield this season, Alexander-Arnold had featured in over 60 senior appearances for Liverpool scoring four goals.
This is after featuring in the Champions League final in Kiev, therefore, becoming the youngest Liverpool player to start a UCL final in the history of the club. Trent is living his dream and this comes as no shock to his childhood hero Steven Gerrard who tipped him to have a bright future at Liverpool in his autobiography in 2015.
What are his qualities?
Alexander-Arnold started his early career at the academy as a central midfielder and this might be the reason as to why the youngster posses immense creativity and passing range. He is an attack-minded fullback who is perfectly suited to Klopp’s offensive approach. He has the stamina and pace to surge up and down the right flank continuously for 90 minutes.
Trent always tries to carry the ball from deep as well as making the overlapping runs to support the attack. The Liverpool midfield constantly gets narrower and compact thus demanding the fullback to get up and provide width in the attacking third. This is where he excels as he is very good in the attacking zones.
He can initiate the attack by making free man runs infield to get onto the end of moves as well as effortlessly delivering inch-perfect crosses to teammates in and around the penalty area. Trent is currently one of the best attacking fullbacks in Europe.
Passing is one of his strongest asset as a player. He has the passing range to switch play from right to left as well as finding Mohamed Salah in between the channels of the right flanks. Trent has an eye for the creative pass and this makes him an important player for Liverpool’s attacking game.
He averages 1.4 key passes and 3.5 long balls per game this season in all competitions. His pass success rate of 77.2 percent in the Premier League might seem a low figure but it is simply because of his urge to consistently try the most creative passes.
Defensive Abilities
Trent has the physical and technical profile to excel as a fullback. His athleticism makes him ideal for the gegenpress. This makes him win possession regularly high up the pitch hence turning defence into attack.
He times his runs well knowing when to drift forward or when to drop, therefore, making him be rarely caught out of possession. Don’t let the narrative that he is an attack-minded fullback fool you from the fact that he boasts impressive numbers defensively due to his outstanding reading of the game. He has an average of 1.8 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game so far in this PL season.
The dead ball specialist
Alexander-Arnold is a great free kick taker and he also has an outstanding ability to deliver crosses from dead balls. At Liverpool, he is one of the main set piece takers for the team and he has already scored two great free kicks for the senior squad. Even though he has much to improve in this area of his game to be considered among the elites, the 20-year-old has shown that he has the ability to be one of the best.
Conclusion
Alexander-Arnold is currently one of the best young talents in the world. He will certainly be one of the best players in that position if he continues progressing at the same rate. The fact that he is the latest player to successfully breakthrough from the Liverpool academy should give other youngsters the urge to continue working hard. The likes of Rafa Camacho, Rhian Brewster, Curtis Jones and Harry Wilson are all touted to be the next big thing from the Liverpool academy.
