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Former England manager Sam Allardyce has advised Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp to use defender Trent Alexander-Arnold as a midfielder.
The right-back has struggled to find his best form this season. Liverpool lost 2-1 against Brighton & Hove Albion in the fourth round of the FA Cup on January 29.
Alexander-Arnold had a tough game against in-form Kaoru Mitoma and was subbed off in the 59th minute for James Milner.
Alexander-Arnold, who is known for his attacking prowess, has been consistently criticized for his defensive lapses. Allardyce believes Klopp should play the Liverpool right-back as a midfielder. On the No Tippy Tippy Football Podcast, he said:
"Jurgen has played him in the midfield a few times before now, and I just wonder whether he can actually go there and be great. It wouldn't bring up that defending side as much. He has the touch, and I know it's harder in there rather than full-back, but he is such a talent. And unfortunately, he's had a lot of stick and I think it's knocked his confidence."
Alexander-Arnold was also left unused by England manager Gareth Southgate during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
He has made 27 appearances for Liverpool this season, registering three goals and two assists.
Jurgen Klopp on Trent Alexander-Arnold's battle against Kaoru Mitoma in Liverpool's FA Cup exit
After the loss against Brighton, Klopp explained that Alexander-Arnold didn't get as much support against Mitoma as he should have. He praised the Japanese forward but admitted that his side could have defended better with both goals.
Klopp said (via The Mirror):
"We came here after a game a few weeks ago when we weren’t even close to ourselves. Today we played a better game but we concede two goals from set-pieces and that is not allowed in any way. On the left side, Robbo was okay because we helped him but on the other side Trent didn’t get the support."
He added:
"Mitoma is really good so, of course, it was tough. We could have defended both goals better. The first is deflected but we can probably block the shot. It doesn’t feel great. In time we might see the positives but we wanted to get to the next round. Congratulations to Brighton."
Brighton have now played Liverpool thrice in all competitions this season, winning twice and drawing once.
