Trent vs Bradders or A.N. Other
- Thread starter Frogfish
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
Haven’t seen a report of his actual injury?
Rob Palmer is one of our patrons in work, his son has CP and was once one of our attendees. They both do a lot for our charity, great guys. His lad went on to go to Uni and now works for the BBC.
Funny isn't it. Don't see Klopp taking credit for Arne's success, but we do see Arne crediting Klopp for leaving him a strong squad to work with. Which is how it should be.
Houllier was never the same after his heart problems, it was like he developed a messiah complex and started to believe he could do no wrong.
New name to the shortlist - Wesley
www.uol.com.br
Article stated Wesley is about to receive his first call-up to the Brazilian National Team. "Dorival Junior decided to include the full-back in the squad for the games against Colombia and Argentina, in the World Cup qualifiers. The matches will take place on March 20 and 25, respectively."
It also mentioned that Aston Villa and Bournemouth made offers for him last year which were rejected by Flamengo. Will cost at least €30m.
View: https://x.com/AnfieldSector/status/1892980386583429490
"Wesley is the leader in duels won (138) among all Brazilian defenders in the world since Filipe Luís (yes, the ex-Chelsea player) took over at Flamengo! "
View: https://x.com/SofascoreBR/status/1890487674995441885
"Wesley under the command of Filipe Luís at @Flamengo:
• In 18 games, 12 wins, 5 draws and only 1 defeat.
• Furthermore, despite having won 146 duels and made 37 tackles, the full-back only received 1 yellow card during the period.
Is he the best full-back in the country? "
View: https://x.com/R10Score/status/1891570814627217657
His latest assist:
View: https://x.com/centraldanacao/status/1890954405295358363
Mercado da Bola: Wesley em alta no Flamengo: seleção à vista e Liverpool no encalço
Dos maiores ativos do Flamengo, Wesley vive um momento bastante especial na carreira. A começar por ter à vista a primeira convocação à seleção brasileira principal.Dorival Junior está decidido a incluir o lateral-direito na lista para os jogos contra
Article stated Wesley is about to receive his first call-up to the Brazilian National Team. "Dorival Junior decided to include the full-back in the squad for the games against Colombia and Argentina, in the World Cup qualifiers. The matches will take place on March 20 and 25, respectively."
It also mentioned that Aston Villa and Bournemouth made offers for him last year which were rejected by Flamengo. Will cost at least €30m.
View: https://x.com/AnfieldSector/status/1892980386583429490
"Wesley is the leader in duels won (138) among all Brazilian defenders in the world since Filipe Luís (yes, the ex-Chelsea player) took over at Flamengo! "
View: https://x.com/SofascoreBR/status/1890487674995441885
"Wesley under the command of Filipe Luís at @Flamengo:
• In 18 games, 12 wins, 5 draws and only 1 defeat.
• Furthermore, despite having won 146 duels and made 37 tackles, the full-back only received 1 yellow card during the period.
Is he the best full-back in the country? "
View: https://x.com/R10Score/status/1891570814627217657
His latest assist:
View: https://x.com/centraldanacao/status/1890954405295358363
Former Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has revealed the details of a rare argument with Jurgen Klopp over Conor Bradley.
The Dutchman left Liverpool at the end of last season along with Klopp after the latter decided to call it day at Anfield and take a break from football.
Lijnders went straight back into a job with Austrian side RB Salzburg hiring him as their manager before he parted ways with the club in mid-December after 29 matches.
Liverpool had nine successful years under Klopp with Lijnders joining the coaching staff in 2018 and was part of the team that helped the Reds win their sixth Champions League trophy in 2019 and the Premier League title in the 2019/20.
Lijnders and Klopp had a great relationship but the Dutchman has described a rare argument the pair were involved in, which the German “won’t remember”, over young right-back Bradley.
In the new four-part documentary ‘Doubters To Believers Liverpool FC: Klopp’s Era’, Lijnders said: “I remember that I really fought, proper fought, for Conor to be our No 2 behind Trent.
“I was really trying to keep him in the club because I believed that he would already be ready at that time.
“The club makes the decision together with Jurgen get him out on loan, and it really, really upset me a lot. There was hard, hard words and it was probably one of the only confrontations I had with Jurgen. He won’t remember it anyway but I remember it.”
It is not the first time that Lijnders has opened up on a difference of opinion with Klopp, he told The Redmen TV last year: “My idea constantly was: the best No. 6 I had in the U16s was Trent Alexander-Arnold.
“It’s not to only have extra players inside, to have four here (in the midfield), to have the same as what Bobby Firmino did.
“But it’s also to have Trent in a position where the ball can fly from left to right. What I said constantly to Jurgen was: ‘We have to do it.’
“‘But Pep, blah blah blah’ [Klopp complained]. ‘We have to do it.’
“Until I was so sick of it that I went to Jurgen in this office and said, ‘Jurgen, next year you can f****** have all my f****** salary. If we don’t do it in the next game, it’s done for me. I can’t.
“‘We need the extra player, we need Trent there. I tell you it will work, it will work.'”
The Dutchman left Liverpool at the end of last season along with Klopp after the latter decided to call it day at Anfield and take a break from football.
Lijnders went straight back into a job with Austrian side RB Salzburg hiring him as their manager before he parted ways with the club in mid-December after 29 matches.
Liverpool had nine successful years under Klopp with Lijnders joining the coaching staff in 2018 and was part of the team that helped the Reds win their sixth Champions League trophy in 2019 and the Premier League title in the 2019/20.
Lijnders and Klopp had a great relationship but the Dutchman has described a rare argument the pair were involved in, which the German “won’t remember”, over young right-back Bradley.
In the new four-part documentary ‘Doubters To Believers Liverpool FC: Klopp’s Era’, Lijnders said: “I remember that I really fought, proper fought, for Conor to be our No 2 behind Trent.
“I was really trying to keep him in the club because I believed that he would already be ready at that time.
“The club makes the decision together with Jurgen get him out on loan, and it really, really upset me a lot. There was hard, hard words and it was probably one of the only confrontations I had with Jurgen. He won’t remember it anyway but I remember it.”
It is not the first time that Lijnders has opened up on a difference of opinion with Klopp, he told The Redmen TV last year: “My idea constantly was: the best No. 6 I had in the U16s was Trent Alexander-Arnold.
“It’s not to only have extra players inside, to have four here (in the midfield), to have the same as what Bobby Firmino did.
“But it’s also to have Trent in a position where the ball can fly from left to right. What I said constantly to Jurgen was: ‘We have to do it.’
“‘But Pep, blah blah blah’ [Klopp complained]. ‘We have to do it.’
“Until I was so sick of it that I went to Jurgen in this office and said, ‘Jurgen, next year you can f****** have all my f****** salary. If we don’t do it in the next game, it’s done for me. I can’t.
“‘We need the extra player, we need Trent there. I tell you it will work, it will work.'”
I was listening to Momo's favourite podcast who just did a documentary about Conor Bradley (don't worry Momo, none of the presenters are on it, its just audio from the people interviewed). Anyway, one of his youth coaches said he could play in many positions, including as an attacking midfielder.
So I think we should open the debate - shoudl the Tayto Warrior move into midfield? I mean we have form here, after all Stevie started off as right back.
Ready, steady, go ....
So I think we should open the debate - shoudl the Tayto Warrior move into midfield? I mean we have form here, after all Stevie started off as right back.
Ready, steady, go ....
I think I’d like to see him have an injury free season before I start moving him into other positions.
That saying, if Trent goes, RB is surely his best chance of becoming a regular.
You got a like for me calling them cunts.
What's the podcast?
The Anfield Whoppers
I’m with Woland that we would’ve made a better one than them had we done one when they started. But we’d have been cancelled with overuse of twat, cunt and mongs.
Isn't Twat, Cunt and Mong their names?
Yep!
How about he just stays for more than 6 weeks?
View: https://x.com/OptaAnalyst/status/1905671708524040474
The 21-year-old has played 22 times (nine starts) in all competitions this season for his club, clocking up just over 1,000 minutes before suffering an injury in February’s 2-2 draw at Aston Villa.
Can he really step up to be first choice at a team with the loftiest of ambitions, though?
Firstly, it’s important to note that Bradley is a very different full-back to Alexander-Arnold. As you can see from their respective heat maps below, he doesn’t have as many touches in attacking areas as Liverpool’s vice-captain, and doesn’t wander centrally as often.
While Alexander-Arnold enjoys getting on the ball and dictating the tempo like a midfielder, Bradley likes to make off-the-ball runs. In the Premier League this season, Alexander-Arnold has averaged 10.5 off-ball runs per 90 minutes, compared to 25.4 from Bradley; 4.7 runs into the final third to Bradley’s 10.9; and 2.2 runs into the opposition box to Bradley’s 6.9.
Bradley has also made 6.9 overlapping runs per 90 to Alexander-Arnold’s 2.7, suggesting that Mohamed Salah – or whoever Liverpool’s primary right winger is next season – will have an option on the outside to pass to more often.
They’re not just runs for the sake of runs from the youngster, either. Bradley has made three runs challenging the backline in the Premier League this season (an off-ball run that threatens to get behind the opponent’s backline), with only five right-backs in the division recording more, and all have played at least 1,500 more minutes than the Northern Ireland international.
Of course, this all depends on whether Slot wants this from his full-backs, though as we recently wrote about, having players who add to a team’s verticality does seem to be a growing trend in the Premier League.
If the manager still wants top-notch distribution and creativity from right-back, Bradley may not be the answer yet. In all competitions this season, his chances created from open play per 90 (0.7) is half that of Alexander-Arnold’s (1.4), while he averages just 1.3 open-play crosses per 90 to Trent’s 3.4.
Defensively, they have made roughly the same number of tackles per 90 (Alexander-Arnold 2.7, Bradley 2.6) but the England international has a greater edge in possession won (5.0 to 4.5) and interceptions per 90 (1.3 to 0.9).
It’s important to remember that Bradley is still developing, though. At just 21, exposure to more regular first-team football should see him improve in all areas in time.
Despite his tender age, Bradley has already been awarded the captaincy of his national team, and last summer, Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill said: “We’ve got a really special young player who can only continue that way… [Bradley’s] attitude to the game is maybe his biggest attribute, he just loves to play.
“He trains that like that, he always trains at his maximum and I think at times the other younger players feed off that.”
There are injury concerns. According to Transfermarkt, Bradley has sustained four separate injuries that have cumulatively caused him to be sidelined for roughly seven months in the last two years, so whether Liverpool would feel comfortable relying on him is another question entirely.
One of the first big names to be linked with stepping into Alexander-Arnold’s boots has been Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong. The short-but-speedy Dutchman has been sensational for Xabi Alonso’s side in the last two seasons and is among the most productive right-backs in world football.
Well, we say ‘right-back’.
In Alonso’s three-at-the-back system, Frimpong plays as a wing-back, which involves far more wing than back, as you can see from his heat map below.
His runs down the right side open up so many opportunities for Leverkusen, and he has been a vital part of the team that sensationally won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double last season, and have challenged Bayern Munich in the league again this time. In total, Frimpong has 37 goal involvements across the last two seasons (18 goals, 19 assists).
However, while it might be true that he hasn’t played as a right-back under Alonso, he largely did during his time at Celtic and at Leverkusen prior to the Spaniard’s arrival in the Bundesliga. The below heat map is from the 2021-22 season and shows that Frimpong’s touches were far more akin to an orthodox right-back in Gerardo Seoane’s system.
He recorded six assists in the Bundesliga that term, the same number as Alexander-Arnold has in the Premier League this season, and averaged 1.3 open-play chances created per 90, just shy of Alexander-Arnold’s 1.4. But he did play the role very differently.
When comparing Frimpong’s 2021-22 league campaign with Alexander-Arnold’s 2024-25 efforts, we can see the Leverkusen man attempted more dribbles and had a lot more success in ground duels, but had significantly less involvement in passing and defensive actions.
Frimpong is a very good player, but a very different one to Alexander-Arnold. Slot may be open to changing the setup of his team and might even prefer having a right-back like Frimpong who provides more width and dribbling threat, but changes would have to be made elsewhere to accommodate him.
There could be concerns as to how he works with Salah, for example, should the Egyptian still be around. Though it should be remembered that Frimpong and Moussa Diaby – also a pacy left-footed winger with an eye for goal – worked very well together down Leverkusen’s right side in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. Diaby did sometimes play on the left of the attack as well, however.
Two more things working in the 24-year-old’s favour are that he supposedly has a release clause of around £34m, and perhaps more crucially considering Liverpool would be losing one of their academy graduates in Alexander-Arnold, Frimpong would count as a homegrown player due to his developmental years at Manchester City.
His versatility in potentially playing in the front line could also allow him and Bradley to play together on the right side when Salah – assuming he does stay at Anfield beyond this season – isn’t available, which would be the case in December/January when the next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations takes place.
Well, we say ‘right-back’.
In Alonso’s three-at-the-back system, Frimpong plays as a wing-back, which involves far more wing than back, as you can see from his heat map below.
His runs down the right side open up so many opportunities for Leverkusen, and he has been a vital part of the team that sensationally won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double last season, and have challenged Bayern Munich in the league again this time. In total, Frimpong has 37 goal involvements across the last two seasons (18 goals, 19 assists).
However, while it might be true that he hasn’t played as a right-back under Alonso, he largely did during his time at Celtic and at Leverkusen prior to the Spaniard’s arrival in the Bundesliga. The below heat map is from the 2021-22 season and shows that Frimpong’s touches were far more akin to an orthodox right-back in Gerardo Seoane’s system.
He recorded six assists in the Bundesliga that term, the same number as Alexander-Arnold has in the Premier League this season, and averaged 1.3 open-play chances created per 90, just shy of Alexander-Arnold’s 1.4. But he did play the role very differently.
When comparing Frimpong’s 2021-22 league campaign with Alexander-Arnold’s 2024-25 efforts, we can see the Leverkusen man attempted more dribbles and had a lot more success in ground duels, but had significantly less involvement in passing and defensive actions.
Frimpong is a very good player, but a very different one to Alexander-Arnold. Slot may be open to changing the setup of his team and might even prefer having a right-back like Frimpong who provides more width and dribbling threat, but changes would have to be made elsewhere to accommodate him.
There could be concerns as to how he works with Salah, for example, should the Egyptian still be around. Though it should be remembered that Frimpong and Moussa Diaby – also a pacy left-footed winger with an eye for goal – worked very well together down Leverkusen’s right side in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. Diaby did sometimes play on the left of the attack as well, however.
Two more things working in the 24-year-old’s favour are that he supposedly has a release clause of around £34m, and perhaps more crucially considering Liverpool would be losing one of their academy graduates in Alexander-Arnold, Frimpong would count as a homegrown player due to his developmental years at Manchester City.
His versatility in potentially playing in the front line could also allow him and Bradley to play together on the right side when Salah – assuming he does stay at Anfield beyond this season – isn’t available, which would be the case in December/January when the next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations takes place.
For a slightly more ready-made replacement, and another player who was contracted to Man City as a youngster, Pedro Porro would be an ambitious target.
According to Opta’s player radars, Porro’s output in certain key metrics last season see him compare most similarly to Alexander-Arnold’s numbers this season of any full-back from Europe’s top five leagues.
The Tottenham Hotspur man has been impressive since joining from Sporting CP in January 2023, with nine goals and 17 assists in 95 games for the club in all competitions.
This season, Porro (44) is second only to Alexander-Arnold (51) for chances created by right-backs in the Premier League, while none have delivered as many as the Spain international’s 109 open-play crosses.
Of course, it would take a hefty bid to get Porro out of Spurs. Daniel Levy’s reputation as a hard negotiator precedes him, and as Liverpool are reportedly planning a busy summer in the transfer market, forking out a significant chunk on a right-back might not be seen as the best use of funds.
======
If money is an issue for Liverpool considering they’ll be getting nothing for Alexander-Arnold, they could always fight fire with fire and look for a right-back via the Bosman Ruling.
The most obvious option would be Ola Aina, who has had a standout season at Nottingham Forest. He has won possession more times than any other defender in the Premier League this season (156), and Liverpool know first-hand how good he can be in key moments.
In the dying minutes of their 1-1 draw with Forest at the City Ground in January, Salah’s goal-bound shot was stopped on the line by Aina, one of three goal-line clearances the Nigeria international made in quick succession in the Premier League, all of which turned out to be crucial in his team winning points.
However, Liverpool will need their right-back to produce in attack. While it’s difficult to judge Aina given he plays in a team with a very different approach to football, the fact he’s only created 11 chances in the league this season (40 fewer than Alexander-Arnold) is probably an issue.
Feyenoord’s Givairo Read is already known by Slot, who gave him his debut for the Dutch side off the bench in a Europa League game against Roma last season.
Read has established himself in the first team at De Kuip this year, making 17 Eredivisie appearances (13 starts) and recording six assists, including three in Feyenoord’s 6-2 win at FC Twente last time out. The first came from a pinpoint cross for Ayase Ueda to head in, the second was a precise low cross for Igor Paixão to finish, and the third was an Alexander-Arnold-esque long ball into the path of Paixão to control and score. Only Paixão (9) has more assists for Feyenoord in the Eredivisie this season.
The pacy 18-year-old also has Champions League experience, appearing in both play-off games against Milan as well as their last-16 second leg at Inter.
Another option could be Porto’s Martim Fernandes, viewed as one of the most exciting young talents in the Primeira Liga. Reports in December suggested Liverpool were tracking Fernandes’ development as a potential option in the event Alexander-Arnold departed.
The 19-year-old, who is very comfortable on the ball and always looking to spring attacks, has five assists in the league in 2024-25, with no Porto player having more (level with Francisco Moura).
He has created the most big chances per 90 – a chance from which the attacking team would usually be expected to score – of any defender in Europe’s top 10 leagues this season (0.96) (min. 10 games played).
We couldn’t resist a wild shout, but we think there’s a bit of sense to it. In Conor Bradley, Liverpool have a Northern Ireland international who can make a big impact on the right side, so why not add another?
Sunderland’s Trai Hume has been outstanding at the Stadium of Light this season. The 23-year-old has six assists in the Championship, with no Black Cats player recording more (level with Patrick Roberts).
Hume has created the most chances from open play (45) and big chances (13) by a defender in the Championship in 2024-25. In fact, even including midfielders and forwards, only five players in the second tier have laid on more open-play chances to teammates, and only four have crafted more big chances.
No defender has been dribbled past more times than Hume (39) in the Championship this season, though in fairness if you look at it on a per-90 basis (minimum 10 games played), he drops to 10th (1.08). He has also made more tackles than any other defender in the competition (99), while only seven defenders have won possession more often (154) and he ranks eighth for interceptions (44). Hume also made 152 tackles last season, at least 33 more than anyone else in the Championship.
He’s also played all but one of Sunderland’s 38 league games this season, having featured in all 46 games last season, showing he can stay fit too.
Whether he’d fancy competing with Bradley at both club and international level is debatable – albeit O’Neill has previously remedied that by playing the latter further up the pitch – but Hume seems like someone who will likely be playing in the Premier League sooner rather than later.
I agree that you can't play Frimpong like he is under Xabi if you have Mo out there. But as the previous article shows, Frimpong previously played in a more orthodox back 4 previously. Perhaps he returns to that role next season but is part of the gradual easing out of Mo. He could return to the more advanced role when Mo is out or once Mo is gone.
Similar threads
