Former Manchester United forward Lee Sharpe believes Trent Alexander-Arnold ‘just jogs back’ when defending and ‘expects the rest of the team to mop up his mess’.
This scathing judgement came after Liverpool drew 3-3 with Brighton on Saturday, with all three of the goals scored by Leandro Trossard passing through Alexander-Arnold’s cross-section.
Roberto de Zerbi’s Seagulls went 2-0 up at Anfield in the opening 20 minutes, before Roberto Firmino pulled one back before half-time.
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The Brazilian levelled proceedings before the ball ricocheted off Adam Webster to give the Reds an unexpected lead. Trossard levelled with ten minutes to go, meaning Brighton go three unbeaten at Anfield after last years’ 2-2 draw and the previous 1-0 win in early 2021.
The full-back has come under a lot of criticism for his defensive ability from almost all angles this season, and many sides have targeted him as an area of weakness in the Liverpool setup.
Sharpe agreed with this sentiment, believing that he needs to improve not only his tactical awareness but his attitude towards this side of the game.
“You should run back towards the goal whenever there’s trouble. Whenever the ball goes past Trent Alexander-Arnold, he doesn’t bust a gut to get back in to a defensive position,” Sharpe said on Stadium Astro.
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“He just jogs back and expects the rest of the team to mop up his mess. It’s something that needs addressing, for Klopp and for Trent himself. Teams will single him out and it will cause Liverpool problems.”
Alexander-Arnold was recently left out of the England side to face Germany, and faced public criticism from Gareth Southgate, who called Kieran Trippier a better ‘all-round’ player than him.
Liverpool’s number 66 is entering a phase of his career that could make or break whether he will be regarded as truly one of the best players in his position.
His exceptional creativity may be his biggest strength, but the way in which other teams can exploit him needs to be worked on by Jurgen Klopp.
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Topics: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool