ESPN pundit Steve Nicol has had a real go at one of Liverpool’s most important players.
Jurgen Klopp‘s side are having a fantastic season. They are level on points with Premier League leaders Arsenal, and there’s a chance they could win the treble in a few months’ time.
Once this season is over, there will be a lot of changes at Liverpool. Klopp will leave the club in the summer, and a couple of players could follow him out of the door.
ESPN’s pundits discussed one such player on Friday night, and Nicol heavily criticised his defending.
ESPN pundit blasts Liverpool player’s defending
Liverpool have a top-class player in almost every single position on the pitch.
Jurgen Klopp has had to rebuild his side after losing many of his key players from his most successful years. The likes of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Gini Wijnaldum and Fabinho are long gone.
Liverpool’s current side is a lot younger, and Klopp has done an amazing job with the players he has at his disposal now.
One player who was brilliant a few years ago and still is right now is Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Englishman has been linked with a move to Real Madrid.
Addressing that rumour, Steve Nicol suggested that Liverpool’s next manager could well cash in on Alexander-Arnold because he’s a very poor defender.
The pundit went as far as saying young Conor Bradley is a ‘miles better defender’ than the 25-year-old England international.
Nicol said on ESPN FC: “I think the fact that Klopp’s leaving, it’s going to be interesting because, as we’ve always said, Trent Alexander-Arnold as a fullback is a poor defender. There’s no getting away from that.
“I don’t care who you support, what team you watch, Trent Alexander-Arnold is not a good defender. But, he’s so good going forward that it wouldn’t be a surprise if Real Madrid were to offer, I don’t know, £60-70-80 million for Trent Alexander-Arnold.
“You’ve got a young kid in Conor Bradley who is a miles better defender, is great going forward but isn’t in the same class as Trent. So, it depends on the next manager whether it’s a possibility that particular thing (move to Real Madrid) could happen.”
Simple solution to solve Trent Alexander-Arnold’s defensive woes
Firstly, we don’t think Liverpool‘s Trent Alexander-Arnold is as bad a defender as many people say he is.
Yes, the Englishman is much better going forward than when he has to track back, but he’s a decent defender who is more than capable of holding his own more often than not.
However, against world-class wingers, Liverpool fans are right to be worried about Alexander-Arnold’s defending. Players like Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli have always troubled him.
In situations like that, Liverpool can just move Alexander-Arnold to midfield and use Conor Bradly at right-back. That should solve the issue, and we think it would make Liverpool’s midfield considerably stronger as well.
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