Topic: Trent Alexander-Arnold

[SamLad]

You can understand with Van Dijk and Salah.

no you can't.

[farawayred]

no you can't.

Not the right thread, but why not? I'm not an economist, but any player has a value made of his market value, earnings and length of contract. Substituting a top earner with a new player can save 15m in wages plus whatever resale value he may have. You can apply that toward purchasing another player. What is not for the club is to lose a high earner on a free, as just playing in the CL groups stages is worth more than 15m.

Of course, the player has a say in that too. If any of them is willing to run his contract down, there's nothing the club can do. I think it was bad dealings letting VVD, Salah and Trent get to that stage, but we had on DoF for less than a year, than one on a temporary basis... The club was a bit of a mess. I hope that gets sorted, but now there is no denying that the said players have the upper hand.

[wemmick]

Been watching extended highlights of Sporting. I don't think Trent will be an issue for Amorim if he is the next manager. The wingbacks interchange with the midfielders often. Trent could be an effective wing back with a similar role to what he has now. Sporting's interchanges between midfielders and forwards also are more frequent and fluid than ours. Trent might have a lovely time pinging balls behind the line. Szoboslai and Nunez are gonna destroy some CBs.

[spider-neil]

What's Trent's left foot like? If it's Amorim I think Bradley and Trent would make great wing-backs.

[Knight]

Trent never used to be a problem defensively. Sure there was a narrative that he was, but he was rightly supported in this very thread for his defending because it was, overall, fine. Even good. Sure it wasn't as good as his on the ball game but then almost no one has ever kicked a football as brilliantly as Trent. The issues mostly came from how high he played, rather than having many inherent defensive shortcomings. So I think he's gone backwards defensively because he now does have some clear shortcomings, and that's a concern.

[spider-neil]

Trent never used to be a problem defensively. Sure there was a narrative that he was, but he was rightly supported in this very thread for his defending because it was, overall, fine. Even good. Sure it wasn't as good as his on the ball game but then almost no one has ever kicked a football as brilliantly as Trent. The issues mostly came from how high he played, rather than having many inherent defensive shortcomings. So I think he's gone backwards defensively because he now does have some clear shortcomings, and that's a concern.

Trent needs to be played in a system that masks his weaknesses and enhances his strengths.

[Fromola]

Trent never used to be a problem defensively. Sure there was a narrative that he was, but he was rightly supported in this very thread for his defending because it was, overall, fine. Even good. Sure it wasn't as good as his on the ball game but then almost no one has ever kicked a football as brilliantly as Trent. The issues mostly came from how high he played, rather than having many inherent defensive shortcomings. So I think he's gone backwards defensively because he now does have some clear shortcomings, and that's a concern.

We're not as compact as we were. He's been targeted for years now down that side by every opponent; and Henderson and Fabinho did so much covering there as well and were both running in treacle last season (and Salah getting older) while Trent's attacking responsibilities have only increased. I think with that his heart is no longer in it in terms of being a defender.

[spider-neil]

Trent could be our KDB the problem (not really a problem) but we have Mac and Dom so you either sacrifice a holding midfielder to play Trent in midfield or sacrifice a forward so you can force either him or Dom into the attack.

[The G in Gerrard]

Pundit today on Sky?

[HardworkDedication]

Pundit today on Sky?

Yep

[fowlermagic]

Trent never used to be a problem defensively. Sure there was a narrative that he was, but he was rightly supported in this very thread for his defending because it was, overall, fine. Even good. Sure it wasn't as good as his on the ball game but then almost no one has ever kicked a football as brilliantly as Trent. The issues mostly came from how high he played, rather than having many inherent defensive shortcomings. So I think he's gone backwards defensively because he now does have some clear shortcomings, and that's a concern.

Maybe my memory is getting fuzzy due to old age but Trent was never a great defender as due to the nature of our system over the years the space behind him was taken advantage a lot more than Robertson. The stat men might say otherwise but I be surprised if any flank was taken advantage of, Trent's defensive side was surely 60-40 v the left. I also seem to remember Trent, like a couple of others had the odd moment where he seem to be not on it. Day dreaming even probably due to the intensity of getting up and down the line. Virgil has ripped him a new one more than most in our backline when it comes to his defensive duties as he's quite poor with dealing with crosses into his zone. Overall he's a brilliant player especially when going/ looking forward which is why he's patrolling the center of the field more often. Defending though is not his main attributes and you will never see him winning any plaques due to his tackling/ defensive duties

[Legs]

Maybe my memory is getting fuzzy due to old age but Trent was never a great defender as due to the nature of our system over the years the space behind him was taken advantage a lot more than Robertson. The stat men might say otherwise but I be surprised if any flank was taken advantage of, Trent's defensive side was surely 60-40 v the left. I also seem to remember Trent, like a couple of others had the odd moment where he seem to be not on it. Day dreaming even probably due to the intensity of getting up and down the line. Virgil has ripped him a new one more than most in our backline when it comes to his defensive duties as he's quite poor with dealing with crosses into his zone. Overall he's a brilliant player especially when going/ looking forward which is why he's patrolling the center of the field more often. Defending though is not his main attributes and you will never see him winning any plaques due to his tackling/ defensive duties

Robbo is a better defender for sure but in defence of Trent I always felt with Gini/Mane the LB had much better cover, maybe that was a tactical plan ?

[Tonyh8su]

Pundit today on Sky?

How is he still not fit? Didn't he come back in the FA Cup game with Arsenal in January or something? Then "re-aggrivated" something and hasn't been seen since.

Our injuries are so puzzling. Ali the same. Rumoured a few months ago he had a knock and then disappeared without a trace or news.

[MosDefKop]

I suspect the club will wait to see what the new manager wants to do with Trent after which he will either be sold (maybe with a cash lump to Trent to ensure it happens) or he signs a new contract - without significant pay rise due to Conor's emergence. 
There is now much greater creativity from midfield now so there is less need for Trent directing play from deep midfield with MacAlister even better at doing that but also with defensive smarts.

If I had to guess I'd be 60/40 towards LFC selling him, putting faith in Conor and reserving the money for Amorin's transfer 'warchest'.

By the way, does Conor remind anyone else of a young full back playing Gareth Bale...?

[Shankly998]

I’m not saying Trent’s a great defender here, he can clearly struggle 1v1 but it is outrageously overblown and is so clearly outweighed by what he offers with the ball and in possession. Two of the best right backs I’ve ever seen (Maicon and Dani Alves) were both pretty average defenders, it didn’t matter because their issues defensively were a fair trade off for what they offered going forward.

Bradley has been brilliant since he came in but he isn’t peak Philipp Lahm. He’s shown he can be a serious option for us at right back, but Trent is a generational talent and Bradley isn’t a better option than him at the moment, regardless of who we play. Trent was our best player this season before the injuries, he was arguably the best player in the league (Carragher and Neville thought he was anyway), people will do well to remember that when comparing him to Bradley.

If Trent eventually moves into midfield because we think Bradley isn’t a huge drop off, we’ll see how he gets on. Me personally, I think he’ll take to playing in midfield like a duck to water. His game intelligence is off the richter and I think he’ll become a generational playmaker at the position. I think nearly every big side on the continent would love to give him a shot at being their deep lying playmaker, the creativity and vision he brings to the position is only carried by a handful of players in every generation. Klopp’s done brilliantly to make Trent at right back work as well as it has done, he’s been able to give Trent a bit of a free role and having a monster like Konate on that side means he can take more risks knowing Ibou can handle most situations comfortably. I think time is right to look to get Trent playing centrally more permanently now. Thiago is leaving the club, there’s a spot being left for a pass master in the middle, let Trent at least have a go.

He might be a scumbag but calling Dani Alves an average defender is laughable. Do you think Trent could get the better of prime Ronaldo in a one in one situation in multiple games. If Trent could defend as well as Dani Alves he'd be a Balon D'or candidate every year.

[rawcusk8]

I suspect the club will wait to see what the new manager wants to do with Trent after which he will either be sold (maybe with a cash lump to Trent to ensure it happens) or he signs a new contract - without significant pay rise due to Conor's emergence. 
There is now much greater creativity from midfield now so there is less need for Trent directing play from deep midfield with MacAlister even better at doing that but also with defensive smarts.

If I had to guess I'd be 60/40 towards LFC selling him, putting faith in Conor and reserving the money for Amorin's transfer 'warchest'.

By the way, does Conor remind anyone else of a young full back playing Gareth Bale...?

This is a shocking post for so many reasons, good Lord it’s so bad it’s put me off football for the rest of the weekend, I’m off to bed.

[Garlic Red]

He might be a scumbag but calling Dani Alves an average defender is laughable. Do you think Trent could get the better of prime Ronaldo in a one in one situation in multiple games. If Trent could defend as well as Dani Alves he'd be a Balon D'or candidate every year.

Each to their own, like. I watched quite a lot of Alves at Sevilla and Barca, I never thought he was elite defensively but his athleticism and engine was elite which certainly helps. Trent doesn’t have that natural agility/burst of pace a lot of full backs have which certainly puts him at a disadvantage, but I wouldn’t say Alves was a great defender, just played in a great side. My point was that sometimes being an average defender doesn’t really matter if you offer tons more going forward.

[Mister Flip Flop]

Believe he was on sly sports today any indication when he'll be back from injury?

[farawayred]

Believe he was on sly sports today any indication when he'll be back from injury?

Trent himself expects two weeks bar any setbacks.

[kingmonkey007]

Hopefully can do 45 mins against Palace, instant quality bump to the team and those around him.

[Gili Gulu]

Hopefully can do 45 mins against Palace, instant quality bump to the team and those around him.

Yes, I'd start him.

Been a while since we've seen a quick start from the team. Need one on Sunday, come out all guns blazing like we did a few times at the start of the season.

[HeartAndSoul]

Yes, I'd start him.

Been a while since we've seen a quick start from the team. Need one on Sunday, come out all guns blazing like we did a few times at the start of the season.

You’d think that’s something that would be getting addressed too. How often have we had a fast start this season? It’s mental. Always seem to go behind and have a mountain to climb.

[SamLad]

You’d think that’s something that would be getting addressed too. How often have we had a fast start this season? It’s mental. Always seem to go behind and have a mountain to climb.

we're like a band that needs a l-o-n-g time to tune up.

[amir87]

We’re pretty desperate for his quality on the pitch but he hasn’t played played in ages so I’d there’s absolutely no chance Jurgen starts him on Sunday.

[newterp]

We’re pretty desperate for his quality on the pitch but he hasn’t played played in ages so I’d there’s absolutely no chance Jurgen starts him on Sunday.

He's got to get at least 30 mins. And then start him against Atlanta for an hour to see if we can claw back something.

We look really bereft of ideas in attack without him there to keep the defenses guessing.

[Draex]

We’re pretty desperate for his quality on the pitch but he hasn’t played played in ages so I’d there’s absolutely no chance Jurgen starts him on Sunday.

Gomez inverting till the 70th minute..

[Redbonnie]

I suspect the club will wait to see what the new manager wants to do with Trent after which he will either be sold (maybe with a cash lump to Trent to ensure it happens) or he signs a new contract - without significant pay rise due to Conor's emergence. 
There is now much greater creativity from midfield now so there is less need for Trent directing play from deep midfield with MacAlister even better at doing that but also with defensive smarts.

If I had to guess I'd be 60/40 towards LFC selling him, putting faith in Conor and reserving the money for Amorin's transfer 'warchest'.

By the way, does Conor remind anyone else of a young full back playing Gareth Bale...?

Re Gareth Bale, yes said that before in here. I think the kid is going to be a great.

[stonecold_jpm]

It's took a few months but its clearly evident now we need him back sharpish, those quick balls down the channel and over the top are what were are missing. He should be starting in midfield as well alongside Macca and Jones.

[MonsLibpool]

Looks rusty as well. He normally nails a higher percentage of thise passes.

[Caps4444]

He needs to go back to playing it simple instead of these Hollywood passes or half-volley first time crosses.

[amir87]

He needs to go back to playing it simple instead of these Hollywood passes or half-volley first time crosses.

These so called ‘Hollywood passes’ are the only reason we were even able to beat Atalanta’s press and give us a chance at attacking them in the first half. You’re right though, he should have kept it simple. Worked really well for us in that second half when we did that and couldn’t get the ball past the half way line.

[Coolie High]

These so called ‘Hollywood passes’ are the only reason we were even able to beat Atalanta’s press and give us a chance at attacking them in the first half. You’re right though, he should have kept it simple. Worked really well for us in that second half when we did that and couldn’t get the ball past the half way line.

It’s the first time volley crosses he needs to stop.

[amir87]

It’s the first time volley crosses he needs to stop.

Part of what makes him special is he attempts things others couldn’t even dream of trying. Of course there will be times it doesn’t work but the last thing I want him to do is not be ambitious with the ball. Even more so after seeing us recycle it in our own third for what felt like an eternity today, because no one had the courage to try something different.

[Butcher Knife Roberto]

He needs to go back to playing it simple instead of these Hollywood passes or half-volley first time crosses.

Far from it - it's those passes that will mess with an opponent and make them think 'what the fucking hell was that?'. He's proven it enough times, and was glorious to see tonight for the first time in what feels like an eternity. He's an enigma, a freak of nature, with a god given talent for finding a pass. Of all the players hitting 12 months to go on their contracts, he is the one they absolutely must break the bank for. Imagine him doing this for Real Madrid? No, neither can I.

[Bobinhood]

He can do all of that stuff better than anybody in the world. Hes just back off a long layoff hes got to play himself into shape. Already head and shoulders above.

top 5 player in the world, now or soon. theres nobody like him. As to defence he pocketed sane in a cl semi when they were both about 21 dont tell me he cant defend at a very high level. Next captain. next big ears lifter, probably a d'or before hes finished.


rolling 5 yr for the next 10 years thank you very much. sell trent madness. it reminds me of the old mad cow joke: so the one mad cow says to the other "what do you make of this mad cow disease that's going around?" "Oh, Well, it doesn't bother me", says the other mad cow. "Im a chicken!"

It would be mad cow chicken level crazy to sell Trent Alexander Arnold imo.

Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

Bob "Superfan" Inhood 

[Zlen]

Very frustrating night. Started it by casually banging a few passes that 99% of footballers would screenshot, print and frame above their desk. Then for most of the game they dried up and he ended up looking silly with half dozen failed outer boot attempts. In the end, just blended in the gray backdrop of our remarkably bland performance.

[TepidT2O]

Almost like he’s just coming back from being up out for three months?

I’m astonished by the level he’s returned at and how quickly he’s found it.

[Draex]

Almost like he’s just coming back from being up out for three months?

I’m astonished by the level he’s returned at and how quickly he’s found it.

Agree he was by far our best player, and as he started to tire so did our chances.

Most players need a month of playing to look on it, he’s done it after 45mins.

[Zlen]

Almost like he’s just coming back from being up out for three months?
I’m astonished by the level he’s returned at and how quickly he’s found it.

Oh I know, not blaming him in any way for anything. He played more and better than expected.
It's just frustrating. Can easily see him, Jota, Jones etc - fully click into gear early May, by which point it will be too late.

[Phineus]

We really need to figure out where best to play him, or where he fits into a new system - he’s so good on the ball but we lack width on right and it harms our play I think.

Basically, where do we want him on the ball and he how can we still stretch the pitch with runners at same time.