Liverpool know what Trent Alexander-Arnold can offer, even if England still dont

April 12, 2024

Trent Alexander-Arnold was 19 years old when he first represented England at a World Cup.

Four years ago in Russia, Gareth Southgate picked him to start the final group game against Belgium, with England already through to the last 16 before kick-off.

England lost 1-0, but over 79 minutes Alexander-Arnold gave a strong account of himself, becoming the fourth teenager to start a World Cup game for England after Michael Owen, Raheem Sterling and Luke Shaw.

Dreamt of going to a World Cup since I was a kid. Today that dream come true, an honour to represent the 3 Lions this summer! 🦁 @England pic.twitter.com/e6c8agtVar

— Trent Alexander-Arnold (@TrentAA) May 16, 2018

His inclusion in 2018 came after a breakthrough season at Liverpool during which he usurped Nathaniel Clyne as Liverpool’s starting right-back. Under Jurgen Klopp’s guidance, he helped Liverpool reach that season’s Champions League final in Kyiv.

Fast forward to the 2022 World Cup and Alexander-Arnold has played in two more Champions League finals and won every trophy on offer at club level. He has also established himself as one of the world’s best right-backs. Yet in Qatar, he managed even less game time than in Russia.

Alexander-Arnold’s half-hour cameo in Doha again came in a final group-stage match with England all but qualified. The defender was brought on in the second half but did little in the way of getting forward.

Apart from being involved in the passing sequence which eventually led to Marcus Rashford’s second goal, there was little for Alexander-Arnold to do. Largely confined to his own half, he was unable to showcase his creativity.

The licence to roam he is granted at Liverpool does not extend to England; Alexander-Arnold looked hesitant to get forward, which hinted he was under instruction to defend first, attack second.

His lack of involvement bemused many, especially after Harry Kane’s penalty went over the bar during England’s quarter-final defeat to France.

England had six minutes of normal time plus eight minutes of stoppage time to grab an equaliser and avoid elimination. If ever there was a moment to get Alexander-Arnold on the pitch it was then, but Southgate overlooked the opportunity and Manchester City’s Kyle Walker remained at right-back.

When Alexander-Arnold did get onto the pitch, it was at full-time to console his deflated team-mates. Manchester United striker Rashford was one of the first he offered his support to.

Rashford had taken England’s last kick of their World Cup campaign — a free kick which just went over. “We’ll be back,” Alexander-Arnold posted on Twitter, along with an image of him clutching Rashford.

We’ll be back. @England pic.twitter.com/Db4PiebMP4

— Trent Alexander-Arnold (@TrentAA) December 11, 2022

After a short holiday, Alexander-Arnold will return to Liverpool’s training ground in Kirkby next week.

His attention will turn to ensuring he and Liverpool continue to fight their way back into form after a difficult start to the season. Klopp’s team have struggled to maintain the lofty heights reached in previous campaigns. They have already lost four league games and drawn four, which leaves them 15 points off leaders Arsenal.

One of the most mystifying stats is that in 20 appearances in all competitions, Alexander-Arnold is yet to register an assist. This is staggering for a player with 61 assists in 246 appearances. He is among Liverpool’s chief chance-creators and is vital to helping build and sustain attacks.

Following on from their friendly against AC Milan in Dubai on Friday, Liverpool have three fixtures remaining in 2022. One is against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup. That is followed by league matches against Aston Villa and Leicester City. Alexander-Arnold will want some assists before the year is out.

This lack of goal-making passes is not to say he isn’t having his usual creative impact. In fact, as we can see from the below pizza chart using smarterscout data, he is.

His progressive passing, which measures how many passes a player attempts that moves their team 10 metres or more upfield, is rated at 95 out of 99.

For expected goals (xG) from shot creation, Alexander-Arnold ranks high with a rating of 95.

His joint-top score is xG from ball progression, which measures whether a player’s actions increase the likelihood of his side scoring when in possession by getting the ball into dangerous areas upfield. Alexander-Arnold is rated 99, which demonstrates that even when Liverpool struggled, his threat in attack has remained consistently potent.

Alexander-Arnold is occasionally criticised for his defensive output, but as we can see, his disrupting of opposition moves is also rated at 95; and his ball recoveries and interceptions is at 99. This shows that when compared to other right-backs, he is having a big impact in winning back possession.

His shot volume (74), receptions in the opposition box (36), and overall defending impact (54) this season have all fallen compared to his final numbers last season.

This season’s chart shows Alexander-Arnold’s importance to Liverpool, where he is given the licence to get forward in a way that he hasn’t been able to do for England.

As David Beckham advised him recently, he has to just keep doing what he is doing.

(Top photo: Laurence Griffiths via Getty Images)

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