Liverpool: Trent Alexander-Arnold criticised by ex-Chelsea star over defensive ability
The struggling Reds and England right-back has come in for yet more criticism for his recent performances
Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has had his defending labelled as "Championship level" by former Chelsea centre-half Frank Leboeuf.
Jurgen Klopp's side have made an inconsistent start to the season – picking up only nine Premier League points from a possible 18 – and it's fair to say Alexander-Arnold has been well below his best so far.
The 23-year-old was at fault for the first league goal Liverpool conceded this term – Aleksandar Mitrovic's header for Fulham in their 2-2 draw on the opening weekend of the campaign – and had a torrid time of things in this month's 4-1 Champions League thrashing by Napoli.
A master creator, Alexander-Arnold's deficiencies off the ball have been highlighted plenty of times in the past – but Leboeuf believes that the Reds' recent struggles have made them more obvious.
Speaking to French newspaper Journal du Dimanche (via the Liverpool ECHO), the 54-year-old – who won four major trophies with Chelsea and the 1998 World Cup with France – said:
"Look at Trent Alexander-Arnold. I love the guy, his offensive qualities – but defensively, he's Championship level.
"Only Klopp's system works for him. When it doesn't work as well as it [usually does], all you see is his defensive shortcomings.
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"I want to take him with me to work on the basics. I would say to him: 'Turn your head and look behind you; it will be better already'."
Having been an unused substitute for Friday's Nations League loss to Italy, Alexander-Arnold has been left out of the matchday squad for England's final game before the World Cup 2022 – Monday night's clash with Germany at Wembley – casting doubt over whether Gareth Southgate will take him to Qatar.
Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...