The curious case of the RB who thought he was a CM
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Hell no. Not yet anyway.
No it’s insanely red tinted. kDB is on another planet.
Eyes bleeding
Planet PT.
No…. But he’s a better RB that KDB.
Haha, I was about to post that.
I'd go to Madrid if I was Trent. He'd win all sorts and be lauded as a legend, he just doesn't get the credit here.
To be fair, Ancelotti would be more likely to play him in the Pirlo position than Klopp. And he’d be protected by Valverde and Camavinga or Tchouameni.
Imagine Trent joining the talent crew that is Bellingham, Camavinga, Vinicius, Rodrygo, Valverde, Tcouameni etc. I'd be off like a shot.
Retire with 5 Champs Leagues and 10 La Liga's or retire with a load of keyboard warriors on your case? Tough one.
Retire with 5 Champs Leagues and 10 La Liga's or retire with a load of keyboard warriors on your case? Tough one.
TBH i think a load of keyboard warriors would be on his case, regardless of trophies.
There's keyboard warriors on at prime Messi ffs
Very impressive
Nope, might play tomorrow though.
Have a feeling that he'll start against Union. That will be an interesting line up to predict.
@Dee N.F.D. 😉
Liverpool must accept reality – Trent Alexander-Arnold is now a midfielder
By James Pearce
5h ago
45
Jurgen Klopp was once bewildered by the sight of Trent Alexander-Arnold operating in the centre of midfield.
It was September 2021, and England manager Gareth Southgate played Liverpool’s dynamic right-back there in a World Cup qualifier against Andorra at Wembley. The experiment was abandoned after 45 minutes.
“Why make the best right-back in the world a midfielder?” Klopp asked afterwards. “I don’t understand that. As if the right-back position is not as important as the others.”
How times have changed.
Liverpool’s ongoing resurgence, which started in April after a poor first half to last season, was sparked by the decision to give Alexander-Arnold the hybrid role where he moves into the holding midfield position when Klopp’s side are in possession.
Designed to maximise the 25-year-old’s skill set and give Liverpool an extra man in the centre of the pitch when they build attacks, it had a galvanising impact. Their only defeat in 24 Premier League matches since the tactical switch against Arsenal in the spring came in controversial circumstances away to Tottenham Hotspur in September.
Yet the evolution of Alexander-Arnold in what Klopp has described as “Liverpool 2.0” is continuing apace.
It was telling that when the manager sought control in the final half-hour of Sunday’s chaotic 4-3 home victory against Fulham, he brought on Joe Gomez to play right-back and put his faith in Alexander-Arnold to perform solely as a No 6.
No longer did Liverpool’s vice-captain have to concern himself with darting back to perform his defensive duties when possession was lost. He could focus fully on pulling the strings centrally and driving Liverpool forward with his range of passing.
It meant spending more time in areas where he could hurt Fulham — culminating in that dramatic late winner in front of the Kop, which meant he has scored in back-to-back Premier League matches for the first time in his career.
Alexander-Arnold’s touch map from the game underlines how little of it he played as a right-back.
Klopp had experimented with something similar when he brought Alexander-Arnold off the bench in last month’s Carabao Cup win against Bournemouth. On that occasion, he provided the pass for Darwin Nunez to settle the tie nine minutes after his introduction.
What we’re increasingly seeing is Alexander-Arnold emerge as a bona fide option for Liverpool as an out-and-out midfielder. It’s where he wants to play, and it’s clearly where he can exert the greatest influence on matches for his boyhood club. It’s also where he’s been playing recently for his country and where he knows he stands the best chance of securing a spot in the team at next summer’s European Championship in Germany, alongside Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice.
There’s been a lot of talk about the No 6 position being an area of Klopp’s squad that needs to be strengthened. However, buying an established right-back should arguably be a bigger priority, whether that’s next month or next summer.
They need to find Alexander-Arnold’s successor/replacement there.
Klopp’s plans for Alexander-Arnold have developed over time (Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)
Gomez is a solid deputy when pressed into duty out wide, but he doesn’t offer much going forward and is considerably more comfortable and capable when deployed at centre-back.
There are high hopes for young Conor Bradley, who made his first Liverpool appearance since January last year when he came on in Thursday’s Europa League win over LASK. The 20-year-old Northern Ireland international had an impressive loan spell at Bolton Wanderers in League One last season before a stress fracture in his back derailed his progress during the summer. Now fit and with a new contract under his belt, it will be interesting to see whether Bradley can kick on and secure himself more opportunities.
Then there’s Calvin Ramsay, who has been hampered by injuries since he was bought from Aberdeen in Scotland’s Premiership in 2022. The Scotsman, also 20, only made the first start, and second appearance, of a season-long loan to Championship side Preston North End at the weekend.
GO DEEPER
Trent Alexander-Arnold is the symbol of a rebooted and revitalised Liverpool
Until the options on that right side are more convincing than a transplanted centre-back and two kids, it’s likely to be a gradual process before Alexander-Arnold is a permanent fixture in midfield. But that transition is underway and it makes sense on many levels.
For a start, Liverpool’s style under Klopp has changed. No longer are they heavily reliant on their full-backs providing the creativity from wide areas.
According to Opta, the number of open-play crosses they are making in the Premier League has dropped season by season from a high of 17.66 per match in the 2019-20 title win to 10.71 during this one. Over the same period, Alexander-Arnold’s crossing from open play has dipped from 6.74 per 90 minutes to 2.34.
With their rebuilt midfield offering more creativity, Liverpool are playing through the central areas of the pitch to a much greater degree.
Alexander-Arnold’s expected assists per 90 have gone down from 0.28 last season, and 0.41 in 2021-22, to 0.20 in this one. That can be explained by his involvement earlier in moves, rather than being the one playing the final pass.
Alexander-Arnold is exerting far more influence from midfield (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
You only have to look at his body language and the confidence he’s displaying to see how he loves the responsibility that comes with operating in the centre.
“What I’m best at is being someone who plays in the middle, someone who controls the game, controls the tempo, creates, breaks lines, progresses the ball up the pitch,” he said recently. “You probably get more out of me in the middle where I can show off that skill set as much as possible.”
Again, it’s a work in progress, with Alexander-Arnold admitting he still needs to fully learn the defensive side of playing as a genuine holding midfielder. It’s different operating there when your team don’t dominate possession and positioning is so key to providing protection and halting counter-attacks.
But he’s young and intelligent enough to adjust. It’s where he played a lot of his academy football and recently, he’s been studying footage of Spain’s Sergio Busquets and Italy’s Andrea Pirlo in their midfield primes.
Klopp was right to be sceptical two years ago when, out of the blue, Southgate played Alexander-Arnold in midfield. Back then it made little sense, given where he was at.
But now, the No 6 role fits perfe
Liverpool must accept reality – Trent Alexander-Arnold is now a midfielder
By James Pearce
5h ago
45
Jurgen Klopp was once bewildered by the sight of Trent Alexander-Arnold operating in the centre of midfield.
It was September 2021, and England manager Gareth Southgate played Liverpool’s dynamic right-back there in a World Cup qualifier against Andorra at Wembley. The experiment was abandoned after 45 minutes.
“Why make the best right-back in the world a midfielder?” Klopp asked afterwards. “I don’t understand that. As if the right-back position is not as important as the others.”
How times have changed.
Liverpool’s ongoing resurgence, which started in April after a poor first half to last season, was sparked by the decision to give Alexander-Arnold the hybrid role where he moves into the holding midfield position when Klopp’s side are in possession.
Designed to maximise the 25-year-old’s skill set and give Liverpool an extra man in the centre of the pitch when they build attacks, it had a galvanising impact. Their only defeat in 24 Premier League matches since the tactical switch against Arsenal in the spring came in controversial circumstances away to Tottenham Hotspur in September.
Yet the evolution of Alexander-Arnold in what Klopp has described as “Liverpool 2.0” is continuing apace.
It was telling that when the manager sought control in the final half-hour of Sunday’s chaotic 4-3 home victory against Fulham, he brought on Joe Gomez to play right-back and put his faith in Alexander-Arnold to perform solely as a No 6.
No longer did Liverpool’s vice-captain have to concern himself with darting back to perform his defensive duties when possession was lost. He could focus fully on pulling the strings centrally and driving Liverpool forward with his range of passing.
It meant spending more time in areas where he could hurt Fulham — culminating in that dramatic late winner in front of the Kop, which meant he has scored in back-to-back Premier League matches for the first time in his career.
Alexander-Arnold’s touch map from the game underlines how little of it he played as a right-back.
Klopp had experimented with something similar when he brought Alexander-Arnold off the bench in last month’s Carabao Cup win against Bournemouth. On that occasion, he provided the pass for Darwin Nunez to settle the tie nine minutes after his introduction.
What we’re increasingly seeing is Alexander-Arnold emerge as a bona fide option for Liverpool as an out-and-out midfielder. It’s where he wants to play, and it’s clearly where he can exert the greatest influence on matches for his boyhood club. It’s also where he’s been playing recently for his country and where he knows he stands the best chance of securing a spot in the team at next summer’s European Championship in Germany, alongside Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice.
There’s been a lot of talk about the No 6 position being an area of Klopp’s squad that needs to be strengthened. However, buying an established right-back should arguably be a bigger priority, whether that’s next month or next summer.
They need to find Alexander-Arnold’s successor/replacement there.
Klopp’s plans for Alexander-Arnold have developed over time (Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)
Gomez is a solid deputy when pressed into duty out wide, but he doesn’t offer much going forward and is considerably more comfortable and capable when deployed at centre-back.
There are high hopes for young Conor Bradley, who made his first Liverpool appearance since January last year when he came on in Thursday’s Europa League win over LASK. The 20-year-old Northern Ireland international had an impressive loan spell at Bolton Wanderers in League One last season before a stress fracture in his back derailed his progress during the summer. Now fit and with a new contract under his belt, it will be interesting to see whether Bradley can kick on and secure himself more opportunities.
Then there’s Calvin Ramsay, who has been hampered by injuries since he was bought from Aberdeen in Scotland’s Premiership in 2022. The Scotsman, also 20, only made the first start, and second appearance, of a season-long loan to Championship side Preston North End at the weekend.
GO DEEPER
Trent Alexander-Arnold is the symbol of a rebooted and revitalised Liverpool
Until the options on that right side are more convincing than a transplanted centre-back and two kids, it’s likely to be a gradual process before Alexander-Arnold is a permanent fixture in midfield. But that transition is underway and it makes sense on many levels.
For a start, Liverpool’s style under Klopp has changed. No longer are they heavily reliant on their full-backs providing the creativity from wide areas.
According to Opta, the number of open-play crosses they are making in the Premier League has dropped season by season from a high of 17.66 per match in the 2019-20 title win to 10.71 during this one. Over the same period, Alexander-Arnold’s crossing from open play has dipped from 6.74 per 90 minutes to 2.34.
With their rebuilt midfield offering more creativity, Liverpool are playing through the central areas of the pitch to a much greater degree.
Alexander-Arnold’s expected assists per 90 have gone down from 0.28 last season, and 0.41 in 2021-22, to 0.20 in this one. That can be explained by his involvement earlier in moves, rather than being the one playing the final pass.
Alexander-Arnold is exerting far more influence from midfield (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
You only have to look at his body language and the confidence he’s displaying to see how he loves the responsibility that comes with operating in the centre.
“What I’m best at is being someone who plays in the middle, someone who controls the game, controls the tempo, creates, breaks lines, progresses the ball up the pitch,” he said recently. “You probably get more out of me in the middle where I can show off that skill set as much as possible.”
Again, it’s a work in progress, with Alexander-Arnold admitting he still needs to fully learn the defensive side of playing as a genuine holding midfielder. It’s different operating there when your team don’t dominate possession and positioning is so key to providing protection and halting counter-attacks.
But he’s young and intelligent enough to adjust. It’s where he played a lot of his academy football and recently, he’s been studying footage of Spain’s Sergio Busquets and Italy’s Andrea Pirlo in their midfield primes.
Klopp was right to be sceptical two years ago when, out of the blue, Southgate played Alexander-Arnold in midfield. Back then it made little sense, given where he was at.
But now, the No 6 role fits perfe
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We had 8 midfielders last few seasons, just that 80% were either crocked or past it.
I'm sure it's played a lot on Klopp's mind ever since the Arsenal game last season when we noticed the change, it's clear without the cover of a midfielder always filling in for him he couldn't continue as a RB, it simply wasn't paying dividends.
It's great to have all these options, it must be a good headache for the manager to have because it gives us more choices to mix it up.
I personally feel the use of wingers are slowly fading out the game, there are no traditional wingers anymore which is why we don't see many 422 formations anymore.....no one wants to beat a man on the outside, get to the byline and cross anymore....all the wingers of today want to be involved centrally and now it's up to the fullbacks to provide the width.
I wouldn't be surprised in 5-10 years time everyone was either playing a 3 atb with WB's or playing a variant of the 4312, perhaps the Christmas tree or diamond shape.
I dont think Klopp has or has had that as a plan.
RW?
That might not be such an issue by the new year if Endo continues to improve and acclimatise to the league.
That's still 5 midfielders plus Harvey, Curtis and Bajcetic. Doubt Thiago will play for us again.
Injuries and a good run in the three cups would need a full complement. I'm sure he'll get games if he get's match fit. He will do at some point surely!
Yeah, Thiago is beyond recall given the numbers / youth to bring through.
specifically re Dm, I think this season Klopp will be happy to see Endo improve alongside Trent’s emergence and Badger’s gradual reintegration.
Mac Allister gradually migrating back to an LCM 8 position. (Of course, it might also be that Klopp genuinely thinks Mac Allister will prove a top level playmaking 6 in time too).
Anyhow, it likely means no incoming DM this window.
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