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Former England right-back Danny Mills has pointed out the defensive lapses in Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.
For all his attacking prowess going forward, Alexander-Arnold has often been criticized for his defensive mistakes. He made another high-profile mistake in the Champions League final against Real Madrid on May 28. The England international failed to track Vinicius Junior's run as the Madrid winger scored the only goal of the game to help Los Blancos win their 14th European title.
Former Manchester City full-back Danny Mills has claimed that Alexander-Arnold is one of the best when it comes to attacking.
However, Mills has insisted that the 23-year-old needs to improve on the defensive side of his game. He told Football Insider:
“I’ve said many, many times it’s an issue. Attacking wise, he’s one of the best in the world but defensively he gets caught at times. He got caught several times in the England game, I know he was playing in more of a midfield or wing-back role."
“With his body position, he’s not aware of what’s behind him at times, of what’s over his shoulder. You can get away with that at Liverpool when you’ve got Virgil van Dijk in your side, for the majority of the time."
Mills has suggested that Alexander-Arnold should not be the first-choice for England. He placed Kyle Walker, Reece James and Kieran Trippier, who are all better defensively, ahead of Alexander-Arnold. Mills added:
“It could have been simply stopped in the Champions League final. For all he adds going forward, I’ve said many times that if it’s a straight shoot-out at full-back for who plays then it’s Kyle Walker, Reece James then Trent, maybe even Kieran Trippier in before him."
“He’s still young and he’s got plenty of time to learn. Someone needs to get hold of him defensively and say ‘Yes, you are amazing going forward but if you want to be the best in the world you still need to be aware defensively of your duties’.”
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has a major cause for concern with Alexander-Arnold struggling defensively
Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of the most important players in the Liverpool setup thanks to his unique skillset.
The Englishman boasts an incredible range of passing as well as an unparalleled crossing ability.
He has 12 goals and 62 assists in 226 games for his boyhood club till date, which shows how crucial a player he is to Jurgen Klopp.
However, it is quite evident that he is not the best defensively and has cost his side crucial games. We will have to wait and see how Klopp deals with this issue but he definitely has a major problem to address.
