Jurgen Klopp’s Gareth Southgate criticism resurfaces after Trent Alexander Arnold U-turn

Jurgen Klopp’s past comments have resurfaced after Trent Alexander Arnold’s latest cameo in Liverpool’s midfield.

Klopp surprised many last weekend when he decided to deploy Alexander Arnold in midfield against Arsenal.

Having been criticised for his defensive game whilst playing as a right-back, Alexander Arnold produced a decent performance in the centre of the park against the league leaders.

For Monday’s match against Leeds, Klopp decided to stick with the plan and played Alexander Arnold in midfield again.

The 24-year-old went on to produce one of his finest performances as he assisted two goals during the convincing 6-1 win. Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez were all on the scoresheet on what was a brilliant night for Liverpool.

However, Klopp has previously criticised England boss Gareth Southgate after he played Alexander Arnold in midfield against Andorra back in 2021.

He said: “In this game, in a game where England are that dominant for example, or that we are that dominant that Trent could play in midfield, I would rather he was the six than in this case the eight.

“That is possible but why would you make the best right-back in the world a midfielder? I don't understand that really.

“As if the right-back position is not as important as the others. People who say that I struggle to understand how you could think that.”

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Now, Klopp has performed a sensational U-turn by playing Alexander Arnold in the centre of the park.

Speaking recently about Alexander Arnold’s position change, Klopp said: “We did that before, but it was it was not that obvious. But we did that before, we put Trent inside.

“Today, in buildup Trent played more inside, double six, that’s how it is. You need to get used to it, obviously.”

With Liverpool likely to target midfielders in the summer transfer window, Alexander Arnold's strong displays in that role could make the club re-evaluate their transfer strategy.

Liverpool will be back in Premier League action this weekend as they host Nottingham Forest at Anfield on Saturday.

Topics: Jurgen Klopp, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool, Gareth Southgate, England, Football

Marcus Chan

@MarcusChan2