“A massive magnifying glass”- Liverpool superstar responds to his critics following a poor start to the season

Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold believes his detractors take joy in his failings

Speaking to ITV (h/t The Mirror), Liverpool ace Trent Alexander-Arnold has opened up on his detractors following the poor start to the campaign.

Having come through the Reds’ youth setup, the 24-year-old has developed into a key player under Jurgen Klopp at Anfield. Alongside Andy Robertson, Trent has revolutionised the role of the modern-day full-back and

A tour de force on the right flank, Trent has largely been deployed as an offensive weapon rather than a defensive one. This season he is yet to fire all cylinders and has just three goals from 20 matches. Surprisingly, he is yet to make a single assist this campaign.

Trent has also struggled defensively and is a weak chink in the Reds’ backline. This has seen him receive significant criticism when Liverpool concedes cheap goals. While the English international admits he has been far from his best, he also went on to claim that his detractors revel in his struggles.

“I think a lot of people like to shout about the mistakes and the ones that I could have done better on, rather than the ones that I defended well on.”

The Liverpool ace believes there is still much to learn and add to his game. While he can understand the criticism of his defensive mistakes, he also pointed out that there are several times that he got it right.

His lack of defensive nous has been something detractors have always beaten down Trent with. However, his prowess at the other end of the pitch largely made up for it. Given that he is failing to do so this time around, he has little defence.

“I would say there’s been a lot of spotlight on it. I’d say there’s been a massive magnifying glass on that aspect of my game.”

Trent’s ability on the ball is like no other and remains a key player for the Reds. Now at the World Cup with England, he has an opportunity to turn his tide and rediscover his best at the biggest stage of them all. Klopp and co will hope that the full-back returns to Anfield, keen to get back to his best.

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Trent is a capable defender but is far from a colossus at the back. His role has always been to cause chaos upfront and is privy to the high-risk, high-reward strategy that Klopp employs. This season, he has struggled but it must be admitted that his failings get magnified much more than his successes.