Gary Lineker praised Trent Alexander-Arnold while criticizing the dull Northwest derby match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield
Gary Lineker heaped praise on Liverpool vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold amid a boring Northwest derby clash against Manchester United at Anfield. The Premier League game ended in a 0-0 draw as United went into the game to park the bus.
Liverpool dominated the match with 69% possession, the majority of the game played at United’s half. The Reds took 34 shots but only managed to hit the target, eight times, failing to create many clear-cut chances.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp continued to play Trent in an inverted right-back role, shifting the tactical responsibilities of many players. The formation allows Trent to influence the game further from the central position in the deep midfield.
The 24-year-old uses his playmaking skills better as he can dictate the game and distribute his passes at any angle. However, the formation leaves the duty of stretching opponents from the right to Mohamed Salah and the right central midfielder.
The ripple effect of this formation has both negative and positive outcomes as other players have to compensate. The Reds failed to stretch the United team that defended deeply and narrowed the gameplay with no one stretching them.
They closed down Salah, Darwin Nunez, and Luis Diaz immediately, not allowing them significant time on the ball. Klopp substituted Joe Gomez for Dominik Szoboszlai in the 61st minute, allowing Trent to play as a central midfielder.
The strategic move of placing Trent as a number six has helped Liverpool unlock Crystal Palace and Fulham’s defence. Nevertheless, United managed to negate the threat for the final half an hour as they grew confident in defending. Speaking on the Rest is Football podcast (h/t Liverpool Echo), Lineker pointed out the influence of Trent from the midfield. He said:
“That was a damp squib, wasn’t it? There was hardly a proper chance in the game. The only bit I enjoyed about the match was watching Trent’s (Trent Alexander-Arnold) passing.”
"There was only one team I think that were trying to win the game"
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 17, 2023
Virgil van Dijk is frustrated after their draw at Anfield pic.twitter.com/SZtIau0P88
Trent finished the match with six key passes, three successful dribbles and three crucial tackles while dominating from midfield. The Englishman has made a comprehensive case for a permanent shift to midfield during this season as a ready-made number six.
We think Klopp’s temporary use of inverted right-back is way past its expiry date as other players struggle. Liverpool needs to deploy an over-lapping right-back instead of using their top goal scorer Salah on the byline.
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A new right-back can help Trent continue to dominate from the midfield as the team’s best playmaker. At the same time, our attackers can benefit from overlapping fullbacks creating space in the middle for them to exploit.
