Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer praised Liverpool head coach Arne Slot for his success and improving Trent Alexander-Arnold’s defensive abilities. Liverpool beat Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 at Anfield on Tuesday in their fourth Champions League game to continue their winning form.
The Reds are at the top of the Champions League table with four wins from four games against tough opponents. At the same time, Liverpool are also at the top of the Premier League despite the intensity of fixture congestion.
Liverpool have already faced many tough opponents like Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion, Arsenal, and RB Leipzig during this period. They will end the post-October international break congestion with a tough game against Aston Villa before the November international break.
Furthermore, Liverpool have back-to-back games against Real Madrid, Manchester City and Newcastle United awaiting them after the November international break. In the midst of all of this, Slot has gradually installed his tactical preferences in the squad since his arrival.
The Dutchman prefers the same philosophy and working culture that Jurgen Klopp developed at Liverpool during his successful decade-long stay. Instead of making the same mistakes that other managers do, stamping their identity, Slot has done things differently and successfully.
The former Feyenoord boss has provided the team that he inherited with more tactical instructions to face any on-field predicament. Furthermore, he has vastly improved many players and improved the defensive structure of the team without compromising the attacking style.
Answering the questions for The Athletic, Shearer praised Slot for improving Liverpool, particularly highlighting the defensive improvement in Trent. He said:
“I was lucky enough to be at Anfield doing co-commentary for the Champions League game against Bayer Leverkusen, and the German team were blown away in the second half. Slot has implemented a few interesting tweaks. You’re not seeing Trent Alexander-Arnold going into midfield as much as he used to and he’s defending better as a consequence.”
Shearer is spot on about Trent’s improvement in defensive phases contrary to some pundits like Roy Keane who refuse to accept it. The 26-year-old has played as the first-choice right-back ahead of an incredibly talented Conor Bradley this season.
Liverpool have only conceded 10 goals from 16 games, playing a defensive midfielder of a different profile in Ryan Gravenberch. The tactical structure is key to the club’s success and winning the individual duels while maintaining dominance in respective areas is essential.
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While players actively help each other, Trent has to dominate the right flank defensively and he has done that. There is no denying that Liverpool are far from a finished article and have a lot of room for improvement. The same goes for the Reds vice-captain as he has to deliver top performances consistently to build his reliability.
