Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold’s defending became a hot topic of discussion after his performance against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Arne Slot’s side were expected by many to beat PSG in Paris on Wednesday night and they did just that. However, the game did not go as planned.
The French champions were the better side for large parts. They could’ve easily scored three or four goals, but Alisson Becker produced an outstanding performance to keep the Reds in the game.
A late winner by Harvey Elliott helped Liverpool secure the victory, and Slot will take that all day long as he knows that his side deserved nothing from the clash.
One thing many people started talking about after the win was Alexander-Arnold’s performance. Slot has now had his say on the same.
Arne Slot delivers verdict on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s defending during PSG vs Liverpool
Alexander-Arnold’s defending has come into question on many occasions in the past.
The Englishman has had problems against quick, tricky attackers over the years, and many people feared the worst against PSG on Wednesday night.
However, Alexander-Arnold had a fantastic game.
Apart from a couple of difficult moments in the first half, the Liverpool number 66 contained the likes of Bradley Barcola very, very well.
After the game, Slot was asked about Alexander-Arnold’s defensive display, and the Liverpool boss claimed that his right-back has been this good for a lot of this season.
He said, as per Liverpool’s official website: “I see the same thing during the season many more times. There have been games – I think City away was one of them – where he was outplayed a few times but we didn’t concede that many big chances against City, so sometimes stats are not telling you the truth.
“If he goes past someone in the width of the pitch, it doesn’t tell you that he’s outplayed. The stats that do matter, I just already said a few times, are clear that Paris Saint-Germain are this season incredible in Europe and in their league.
“Trent, in the first half, one or two times had some difficulties but in general he defended really well, especially also in the second half.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s defensive stats vs PSG
Slot is absolutely spot on. Just because a defender gets past Alexander-Arnold out wide, it doesn’t mean that they have got the better of him unless they create a meaningful opportunity.
Jeremy Doku failed to do that despite dribbling past Alexander-Arnold during Liverpool’s win over Manchester City recently, so the criticism he received was very unfair.
Alexander-Arnold was much better against PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday night, and his defensive stats prove that.
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | |
| Minutes | 90 |
| Tackles | 3 |
| Tackles won | 2 |
| Interceptions | 1 |
| Clearances | 3 |
Alexander-Arnold was dribbled past six times, but the Englishman recovered well more often than not, and PSG couldn’t do anything when they got the better of him either.
There have been times when Alexander-Arnold’s defending has been criticised rightly, but on most occasions, people go overboard.
Liverpool fans will hope that his performance against PSG will change people’s minds about his defending.
