Trent Alexander-Arnold is a once-in-a-generation talent
ON Boxing Day, Liverpool destroyed Leicester 4-0 with a cohesive collective performance that oozed class. They looked like the champions they will surely now become.
It was a magnificent team effort and yet one man still stood out as he displayed the full range of his remarkable talent. There are many things that you would be forgiven for forgetting about Trent Alexander-Arnold: that he is only 21 years old, that this is only his third full season in the first team, and that he plays as a rightback.
He lined up in that position against Leicester and managed to dominate the entire right flank as he has done many times before. In that, just like Andy Robertson on the opposite side, Alexander-Arnold epitomises the transformation that has occurred over the last decade or so to turn fullback into one of the most attacking
positions on the pitch.
The role of the classic winger (such as Ryan Giggs or Damien Duff ) has been diluted to the point of all but disappearing. At Liverpool, neither Mo Salah or Sadio Mane are traditional wingers, rather they are inside forwards who focus more on getting on the end of crosses than providing them.
Thus the supply generally comes from a little deeper these days and fullbacks must have pace, the willingness to overlap, and most importantly the ability to deliver consistent quality in the final third. Alexander-Arnold has all of that and considerably more.
Against Leicester he managed to operate as a playmaker from rightback; providing two assists, scoring a beautifully struck goal, and dictating much of the tempo and rhythm of the game. When he does all of that, there’s something of Andrea Pirlo about him.
Most impressive of all is the way he strikes a football and nobody in the league does it more purely than Trent. He pings cross-field passes and whips in dangerous crosses with the ease and consistency that David Beckham used to at his peak.
It’s all about timing and rhythm, he never tries to blast the ball. Watching him play a long pass is similar to witnessing the elegance of Roger Federer as he unfurls his single-handed backhand or the balletic power of Tiger Woods as he gracefully arcs his club to hit a drive off the tee.
Alexander-Arnold used to play in midfield when he was younger and some have suggested that he might return to that position as his career advances. He undoubtedly has the awareness, vision, and technical ability to do so.
He might not have to though: “For me, he plays fullback as a midfield player. His range of passing is phenomenal.” That’s the view of Brendan Rodgers.
Liverpool will be content to continue using Alexander-Arnold as an attacking fullback, especially as he has become their most potent creator of chances. The person I imagine is giving most thought to a positional switch is England manager Gareth Southgate.
Not since Paul Scholes – a talent who was utterly wasted at international level – have England had a player of such playmaking potential.
Southgate may be understandably reluctant to move Alexander-Arnold into a different position to the one he occupies at club level but such a move could dramatically enhance his side’s style of play.
While his positional future remains open to debate there’s no debating how successful a career he has ahead of him at both club and international level. Watching his development is going to be a joy in the years to come.
And that’s perhaps the most extraordinary thing of all; he’s only going to get better.
Craig Wilkie. Football writer. Football coach. Football fan. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of The Star