Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast, Sam Allardyce has been discussing Trent Alexander-Arnold ahead of the Qatar World Cup.
The former England manager admitted that Alexander-Arnold would be his fourth-choice defender going into the tournament, stating that his form hasn’t been great.
Allardyce did give Alexander-Arnold credit where it is due, stating that he’s an ‘unbelievable footballer’, but he questioned his defensive ability, claiming that the right-back has never been taught how to defend properly.
Allardyce’s Alexander-Arnold comments
Big Sam gave his verdict on the Liverpool defender.
“If they’re all fit I have to go with how they’re playing now. Trent isn’t playing great. I love him, he’s an unbelievable footballer, but nobody has taught him how to defend, I’ve said that before. It’s not as important as it was in our day, in our day it was the most important thing, but now it’s secondary,” Allardyce said.
Harsh
Alexander-Arnold may not be the best defender in the world, but to say that he hasn’t been taught how to defend is a bit of a stretch.
Let’s not forget that Liverpool conceded just 26 league goals last season with Alexander-Arnold being a mainstay in their back four. That, quite simply, doesn’t happen if he can’t defend.
This is one of the most widely perpetuated myths in football. Alexander-Arnold is a more than competent defender who has held his own in the biggest of games, and the idea that he can’t play for England is baffling.
In fact, it’s even more baffling given that England ordinarily play a back five, so even if Alexander-Arnold is a poor defender as some would have you believe, the system would account for that in any case.
As Allardyce says, Alexander-Arnold is an unbelievable footballer, and that’s the only thing Gareth Southgate needs to consider at this World Cup.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
