Trent Alexander-Arnold 2.0: Midfield maestro but still a defensive liability

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has looked to deploy his best passer in a more advanced role, but with it comes the realism opponents will exploit holes in the team

Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold has been used in a hybrid defensive-midfield role in recent games. AFP

Liverpool's season has not been one to cherish, but given the meltdown engulfing Tottenham Hotspur right now, it could always be worse.

The Reds have momentum on their side but with too much ground to make up on the top four. Ahead of a trip to West Ham United on Wednesday, Jurgen Klopp's side are seventh in the Premier League, nine points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, who have a game in hand.

With Champions League football unlikely, the best Liverpool can hope for is to usurp Tottenham in fifth to secure Europa League football next season.

Spurs, who parted ways with Cristian Stellini 24 hours after Sunday's annihilation at Newcastle, are rudderless and managerless at a critical stage of the run-in. Aston Villa, in sixth, will also fancy their chances. Liverpool can put the final death knell in Spurs' season when the two meet on Sunday at Anfield.

Liverpool's sharp rise in recent form has largely been down to the masterclass of Mohamed Salah, the once-again dependable Diogo Jota, and the transformation of Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Much has been made of the 24-year-old Liverpool defender's new hybrid full-back/midfield role but it is not new phenomenon. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has used John Stones, a centre-back by trade, as a makeshift right-back/midfield anchor several times this season. Stones' quality on the ball is inferior to that of his Liverpool counterpart but his tactical nous creates a bulwark alongside midfield maestro Rodri and means City are rarely outmanned in the centre of the pitch.

While Alexander-Arnold's ability on the ball is not up for question, his defensive fragility is. The conundrum for Klopp is whether to jettison his best passer for a more defensively-minded player or accept that teams will target Alexander-Arnold's right-hand channel.

Alexander-Arnold's influence in his new role was apparent in the 6-1 demolition of Leeds United. As well as two assists, the England international recorded 124 successful passes, the most of his career in one game. Of his eight assists in the league, four have come in his last three games, including supplying Salah's winner against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Liverpool's recent upwards trajectory – the Reds also grabbed a dramatic 2-2 draw against league leaders Arsenal earlier this month – has coincided with a tweak in Alexander-Arnold's role in the team. But his deployment further up the field has also had a knock-on effect for at least one teammate.

Fellow full-back Andrew Robertson, a marauding force in his own right, has had to curb his more attacking instincts to make sure the Reds are not exposed with two defenders high up the field.

“It changed the role slightly, that's clear,” said Klopp when asked about Robertson's recent adaptation. “We cannot have one full-back in the centre of the field and the other one constantly high up on the left side. That's difficult.

“So Robbo has to judge the situations when he can be involved. He's obviously a very experienced player, a very smart player and he knows when we need him there.”

“It's a work in progress,” was Virgil van Dijk's assessment of Alexander-Arnold 2.0, “but we all like it.”

Van Dijk's own form may have well played a part in Klopp's tinkering with his team.

The Dutchman's imperious form of previous years could mask a multitude of shortcomings among his fellow defenders. But Van Dijk has looked out of sorts this term, with Ibrahima Konate largely carrying the burden at the back.

Several misplaced passes in the opening stanza against Forest highlighted a vulnerability in Van Dijk not seen since his Groningen days.

What is clear is that Klopp values Alexander-Arnold's contribution, even if it means leaving Liverpool vulnerable at the back.

Liverpool v Nottingham Forest ratings