Speaking to Off The Ball, John Giles has been discussing Liverpool’s downturn in form this season and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The Reds have been off the boil this term so far, and so has Alexander-Arnold.
The right-back’s assist numbers are nowhere near where they once were, while he’s continuing to struggle defensively.
Giles believes that Alexander-Arnold and the team’s decline are intertwined, stating that the full-back isn’t playing as well because the rest of the team’s shortcomings mean that he has to defend more.
Giles discusses Alexander-Arnold
The pundit gave his verdict on the England international.
“You have the situation with the right-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold. When they were playing well and attacking he was a plus because he was brilliant at creating goals and brilliant around the ball, but now they’re not attacking so much, he’s a really poor defender, he’s not a good defender at all,” Giles said.
Needs to be dominant
Alexander-Arnold certainly seems to be a player who needs to play in a dominant team.
When Liverpool are in their groove, there may not be a better playmaker in the Premier League than Alexander-Arnold, but when your back is against the wall, he’s just not the same player.
It’s understandable. After all, most of the game’s great playmakers don’t perform well when their team isn’t dominant, but because Alexander-Arnold is a full-back by definition, the perception is different.
Make no mistake about it, Alexander-Arnold will be back to his best when Liverpool are back to their best, not the other way around.
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