Trent Alexander-Arnold Stats: Best Right Back In World Football?
Trent Alexander Arnold is not just a great full-back. The England international is simply one of the best defenders in the world, and Trent Alexander Arnold stats continue to prove this.
Liverpool are not the same team without Alexander-Arnold – his importance to arguably the best team on the planet speaks volumes.
Part of Liverpool’s dependence on Alexander-Arnold can be attributed to their lack of depth at the position. There is no natural cover for the 23-year-old, let alone a player who can come close to his production from right-back.
Liverpool were given a substantial injury scare in March, when Alexander Arnold suffered a hamstring injury.
Earlier in the season, Klopp was faced with a similar dilemma when Alexander Arnold was not fit to face Manchester City in the Premier League.
The former Dortmund manager said at the time, “We have a lineup. We will see who we choose. Milner, Gomez, Neco, we could change system, we’ve had time to train this week.
“A lot is possible but football is not the game when you have these one-v-ones for a long time. Seconds, yes, but players have protection.
“We have to defend as a unit. It will be tricky of course and the individual quality will shine on both sides and hopefully it will be good enough for us.
“I am not sure he (Milner) knows what positions he can play! He’s a smart footballer and he likes to be involved.
“He likes centre-midfield but our right-backs are influential and you get chances. If he plays there, he’s an important part of the squad. A real engine.”
Being a Trent Alexander Arnold replacement isn’t an easy or particularly fun job, but it’s an area Liverpool need to address in the coming transfer window.
The Merseyside native is always going to start when fit, and any backup cannot get close to Trent Alexander Arnold stats. He has set impossible standards that any other right-back would fail to live up to.
The team is likely to be less effective with anyone else in his position, bringing crippling pressure to any replacement.
Liverpool have done a great job at reinforcing their squad over the last couple of years. Depth was once a weakness, but signings like Ibrahima Konate, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Konstantinos Tsimikas have helped to address that concern.
The academy has chipped in too, with Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott and Tyler Morton all starting league matches in 2021-22.
Right-back hasn’t had support in the same way. Losing Mo Salah or Sadio Mane for a few weeks is not a crisis. There are sufficient options in central midfield to cover for suspensions or injuries to Thiago Alcantara or Fabinho.
Klopp has no such luxury when Alexander-Arnold is forced to miss time – it quickly becomes a juggling act of players out of position or eking the last few matches out of an elderly James Milner.
Playing for England
Having been in and out of the England side under Gareth Southgate, Trent Alexander Arnold has been a controversial topic for the Three Lions manager.
Southgate is spoilt for choice on the right side of defence from Kyle Walker and Reece James to Tariq Lamptey and Max Aarons.
Back in November 2021, Southgate spoke about what he prioritises from the position, shedding light on Alexander Arnold’s limited role.
“They have to defend well, first and foremost, that’s the bedrock of our team and we’ve only conceded five goals in 18 matches, so defensively we’ve not been doing a lot wrong.
“In my opinion that is the first job of a defender, you’ve got to defend well. If then we’ve got good quality with the ball as well and we can create chances, then that’s an added bonus”.
A couple of months prior, Southgate experimented with Alexander Arnold in central midfield for 45 minutes against Andorra. It was a decision which divided opinion, as some have been calling to see the Liverpool native in this role for a long time.
Klopp wasn’t impressed with Southgate’s call, however.
He said, “In this game, in a game where England are that dominant for example, or that we are that dominant that Trent could play in midfield, I would rather he was the six than in this case the eight.
“That is possible but why would you make the best right-back in the world a midfielder? I don’t understand that really.
“As if the right-back position is not as important as the others. People who say that I struggle to understand how you could think that.”
With such competition for the right-back berth, it will be interesting to see if Southgate tries Alexander Arnold in midfield again.
It’s a relative position of weakness for England at the moment, and with Southgate set to remain in charge for the foreseeable future, Alexander Arnold’s opportunities at right-back are set to be pretty limited.
While he’s bound to be in England’s World Cup squad for the tournament in Qatar later this year, it would take a change of heart from the former Middlesbrough defender for Alexander Arnold to be a starter.
Trent Alexander-Arnold Stats (Per 90)
- Non-penalty expected goals – 0.08
- Shots – 1.56
- Assists – 0.4
- Expected assists – 0.36
- Shot-creating actions – 4.74
- Passes attempted – 85.92
- Pass completion – 75.5%
- Progressive passes – 8.22
- Progressive carries – 4.79
- Dribbles completed – 0.72
- Progressive passes received – 3.83
- Pressures – 9.34
- Tackles – 1.46
- Interceptions – 2.49
- Blocks – 1.28
- Clearances – 1.58
- Aerials won – 1.47
Trent Alexander-Arnold Honours
- Premier League – 2019-20
- EFL Cup – 2020-21
- Champions League – 2018-19
- Club World Cup – 2019
- PFA Team of the Year – 2018-19, 2019-20
- PFA Young Player of the Year – 2019-20
- Champions League Squad of the Season – 2018-19
- FIFPro World11 – 2020
- IFFHS Men’s World Team – 2019, 2020
- UEFA Team of the Year – 2019
- ESM Team of the Year – 2019-20
- Premier League Young Player of the Season – 2019-20
