Speaking on the Indirect Podcast, Fulham’s Tim Ream has been discussing Liverpool’s recent decline and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
It’s something of an understatement to say the Reds have not been at their best this season, and perhaps one of their biggest underperformers has been Alexander-Arnold.
The full-back used to be an assist machine, but he’s yet to set up a single goal this season, while his defensive performances have also been lacking.
Ream believes that the problem with the 24-year-old could be mental fatigue, stating that last season’s Champions League final defeat could have had a real negative impact on the full-back.
Mentally shot
Ream spoke about Alexander-Arnold’s problems
“If you take the midfield and look at that. They don’t look the same,” Ream said.
“Forget the back four, Trent, God knows what’s happened with him and what is going on there. Mental fatigue maybe? From last year with the Champions League, that was one thing we analysed, how high a line they play, whether that’s within the play or the set-pieces.
Difficult
Ream’s theory about Alexander-Arnold may be spot on.
Just imagine how deflating it must have been to miss out on the Premier League title and lose the Champions League final in the same week. Bouncing back from that is so difficult.
Yes, Liverpool have bounced back from similar in the past, but doing it a second time is even more difficult as it begins to feel as though all of your hard work has been for nothing.
Confidence and belief is such a massive thing in football, and sadly Alexander-Arnold and many of his teammates look completely sapped of any sort of confidence right now.
Jurgen Klopp needs to find a way to fix this because his team’s season is in danger of total collapse.
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