Gary Lineker has defended Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold on the Match of the Day podcast.
Key creator
Alexander-Arnold has occasionally come in for criticism throughout his career for failing to retain possession enough.
The Liverpool player only has an 80% pass completion ratio this season.
That puts him down in 14th place in the Liverpool squad in terms of that statistic.
But Lineker does not think that Alexander-Arnold should be criticised for giving the ball away.
Instead, he insists that the only reason why Alexander-Arnold doesn’t always retain possession is because he is constantly trying to move the game on with his distribution.
“It’s easy to just take the sideways option. I think there was a spell when Alexander-Arnold had a few dips and people said ‘he gives the ball away a lot’,” he said.
“Well, he’s trying unbelievable passes and crosses so that’s possibly why, rather than hitting it five yards sideways like a few midfield players like Jorginho or Thiago, who are brilliant players but different kind of players.”
Statistical backing
Lineker’s theory is very much backed up by the stats.
Alexander-Arnold is the most creative player in Liverpool’s squad, and average more key passes per game than any other teammate by a clear distance.
The England international already has two assists to his name, after laying on seven goals in the Premier League last term.
His ability to pass from deep and pick out Liverpool’s forwards with pin-point crosses is a key part of the Reds’ attacking strategy.
And if Liverpool are to be successful this season they will be heavily reliant on Alexander-Arnold to provide their strikers with the ammunition required to maintain their goalscoring form.
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