The most debated player in the premier league
Trent-Alexander-Arnold has been the most discussed player in English football over the last few years. This article will give you an idea about some common misconceptions about Trent-Alexander-Arnold.
During the closing moments of the high-stakes Premier League clash between Manchester City and Liverpool on the 25th of November, Gary Neville, acting as a co-commentator on Sky Sports, designated Trent Alexander-Arnold as his player of the match in the 1-1 draw.
The Liverpool standout showcased brilliance with a superb second-half equalizer at the Etihad Stadium, countering Erling Haaland's earlier milestone of scoring his 50th Premier League goal in the match, initially providing Manchester City with the lead.
Yet, it should come as no surprise at this juncture that being recognized as the top player on the field failed to avert yet another debate regarding the merits and drawbacks of Alexander-Arnold.
Despite the ongoing discussion regarding whether Liverpool's vice-captain is too skilled with the ball or lacks defensive abilities to function as a right-back, Jürgen Klopp persists in deploying him in that position. The German coach, in an attempt to strike a balance, has modified the player's role in recent months.
At the start of the season, there were uncertainties about Alexander-Arnold continuing in his inventive 'hybrid' role, involving frequent forays into midfield. Impressively successful in the latter part of the preceding season, he provided seven Premier League assists in 10 games, a substantial improvement from the two assists in 27 games prior.
Curiously, this season has witnessed Alexander-Arnold's average on-field position almost merging those two distinct roles.
Below is Alexander-Arnold's touch zone map (from Opta Analyst) for the first 27 Premier League games of the preceding season:
This is his map for his final 10 games:
And this is his map so far this season (also Premier League only):
Superficially, it appears to strike a better balance. While Alexander-Arnold experienced notable enhancements in both his personal performances and the team's overall gameplay in the final 10 matches of the 2022-23 season, the right-sided center-back for Liverpool at that time had the task of covering a significant area of the pitch during swift turnovers.
Surprisingly, only 12 players in the Premier League who have played a minimum of 500 minutes this season have won possession more than his rate of 7.4 times per 90.
His defensive contributions aren't solely attributed to his forays into midfield. As illustrated in the accompanying graphic, a substantial part of his defensive duties unfolds in the traditional right-back position, reflecting the approach of a team that favors an elevated defensive line.
This season, he is experiencing a higher frequency of being dribbled past, averaging 2.1 times per 90, compared to 1.4 times last season in all competitions. The notable increase in this statistic was particularly influenced by Jérémy Doku's performance against him. The City winger completed an impressive 11 dribbles, marking the highest in a single Premier League game since September 2021 (matched by Adama Traoré against Brentford). Additionally, it stands as the highest number of dribbles completed by a player in a single league game against Liverpool on record, dating back to the 2006-07 season.
Doku excelled in multiple game metrics, such as ball carry distance, ball carry progress, final-third passes, touches in the opposition box, progressive carries, dribbles completed, chances created, and expected assists. Despite these noteworthy achievements, Doku finished the game without securing an actual goal or assist. In contrast, Alexander-Arnold scored the equalizer and celebrated by standing in front of the home fans, putting his finger to his lips.
Alexander-Arnold's recognition as the player of the match at the Etihad wasn't solely attributed to his goal. Among Liverpool players, he led with the highest number of passes into the final third (14), which was twice as many as any other teammate (8). Additionally, he excelled in winning possession, achieving the most turnovers (10).
According to Opta's statistics, Alexander-Arnold did not make any errors leading to goals last season and only committed two errors resulting in opposition shots. However, in the current season, he has already recorded two errors leading to goals (against Bournemouth and Newcastle United) and three leading to shots.
While these numbers may suggest a potential dip in Alexander-Arnold's defensive performance, it's crucial to consider the broader context. Klopp consistently underscores the collective nature of defending in football, emphasizing the importance of team cohesion and defensive contributions from all players. Klopp's confidence in players like Mac Allister in the deepest midfielder role stems from the belief that, with a compact and defensively responsible team, various players can excel in that position.
Despite some of Alexander-Arnold's individual defensive metrics being lower than last season, the overall defensive fortitude of Liverpool as a team has improved. This implies that his role within the unit continues to be effective. After 13 games this season, Liverpool conceded 11 goals in the Premier League (the second fewest) from expected goals (xG) against of 16 (the fourth fewest). In contrast, at the same stage last season, they had conceded 16 goals (joint-sixth fewest) from an xG against of 18.86 (ninth most).
Last season, when Alexander-Arnold changed his role, his involvement in shot-ending attacking sequences per 90 in the Premier League increased from 4.4 to 6.2. It's important to note that Liverpool as a whole performed better during that time, contributing to this change in statistics. In the current season, there's a slight decrease to 5.0, which could be because the team is not relying on him as much. The midfield struggled collectively in the 2022-23 season, but with the additions of Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, and Ryan Gravenberch, there's a refreshed dynamic, reducing the dependence on Trent.
Although Alexander-Arnold has three assists in all competitions this season, only one is in the Premier League (from a corner against Aston Villa), significantly fewer than the seven assists in 10 games he had last season. However, he's still creating opportunities from open play, averaging 1.5 chances per 90, up from 1.3 last season, even though fewer are coming from crosses.
Looking at his open-play chances created in the Premier League for both last season and the current one, there's a noticeable change. He has shifted from delivering many crosses from the right side of the penalty area to a significant decrease in such attempts in 2023-24, with most now originating from deeper areas.
In the 2022-23 season, Alexander-Arnold had an average of 4.3 open-play crosses, but this has decreased to 2.8 per 90 in the current season. Interestingly, he has never maintained an average lower than 4.1 open-play crosses per 90 throughout his career. Despite this decline in cross volume, his open-play chances created are not significantly below his career average. This indicates that he is remaining relatively creative, even though he is not delivering the same quantity of crosses into the box as he did in the past.
"I aim to lead by example, taking responsibility for my actions and the team's performance. It's an incredible position to hold, but there's added responsibility on me to ensure our success and achieve our goals this season."
Alexander-Arnold on the role of vice-captain
While the debate might endure, Trent Alexander-Arnold can be confident that his on-field displays will probably remain highly influential, symbolically quieting any uncertainties.
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