Jamie Carragher urges Liverpool to make Trent Alexander-Arnold change
Writing in his column in The Telegraph, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has urged Jurgen Klopp to make Trent Alexander-Arnold a midfielder for the rest of the season following the injury to Stefan Bajcectic.
This is not the first time we are hearing calls for Trent to be tried in midfield. The talented Englishman has been tipped for such a switch in the past but Klopp has continued using him at right-back due to his impressive performances in that position.
This season though, things have been very different for Trent. For the first ever time since he broke into the first team, the young right-back has been getting a lot of criticism for his performances.
His attacking output has also diminished from previous seasons. This, however, could be down to the fact that the entire team is underperforming with the Englishman still one of the very best going forward.
(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Defensively though, Trent has been shambolic this season, epitomised by his shocker of a display against Vinicius Jr. in the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 clash which the Reds lost.
There is no doubt that the Brazilian winger is one of the trickiest players to defend against in the World but Vinicius absolutely ran circles around Trent who for majority of the game had no clue how to stop him.
This horror show, coupled with the fact that the promising player of this campaign – Stefan Bajcectic has suffered a season-ending injury has prompted Carragher to urge Klopp to shift Trent to midfield.
“Watching Trent during Liverpool’s run to Premier League and Champions League glory, he looked exactly what he is. A creative midfielder who has found a place at right-back under a manager who designs a team to spend more time in the attacking third than defending its own box. When the starting XI and system purrs, so does Alexander-Arnold”
Carragher even compared Trent to the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Steven Gerrard, which is huge praise for the Englishman.
“In terms of his passing range, Alexander-Arnold is as good as anyone in Europe and the closest Liverpool have to Kevin De Bruyne or Steven Gerrard. Given how desperate Liverpool are for a creative midfielder, would turning him into a No 8 so he can fill those areas to whip those extraordinary passes into the penalty area be such a radical move? With Stefan Bajcetic out for the season, would Klopp even consider it as an immediate measure?”
In-house solution?
At this point, it is absolutely no secret how much Liverpool are craving for midfield reinforcements ahead of the next season. One player will not be sufficient and the Reds will have to invest in at least two if not three players.
That said, could Jurgen Klopp finally look at the solution he has been having at his disposal for so long – TAA? With this season virtually a write-off except for a late push to get into the top-four spots, now maybe the time to give the Englishman a run out in midfield.
(Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Should Trent be given a chance to play as an eight and thrive in that area, it could mean one midfielder less to shop for in the transfer market for the Reds. The 24-year-old could be the creative presence that Liverpool have been craving for.
Yes, this would mean that the Reds might need to sign a new right-back in the summer but it’ll still be better than going into the market to shop for 2-3 top quality midfielders. It’s time now for Klopp to act.
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Should Trent invert into midfield, Klopp can use the likes of James Milner or Joe Gomez in that position for the rest of the season. Let’s hope our manager is brave enough to take a punt on this!
