Emmanuel Petit has suggested that one Liverpool star almost looked lost during his first performance at Euro 2024, insisting that he did not appear to know what he was doing.
Arne Slot, of course, is gearing up to take charge of the Reds next season, and he will have some ideas on how he is going to get the best out of some of his players.
Of course, no debate over how to get the best out of one player has probably been more divisive than the one concerning Trent Alexander-Arnold, with the 25-year-old coming in for plenty of criticism in recent years.
His limitations as a defender had seen Jurgen Klopp push Alexander-Arnold into more of a hybrid role that allows the academy graduate to pull the strings in midfield more often.
Emmanuel Petit says Liverpool star looked lost in Euro 2024 game
And it seems that that inspired Gareth Southgate as he picked Alexander-Arnold in the middle of the park as England faced Serbia in their Euro 2024 opener at the weekend.
Unfortunately, the decision did not appear to pay off, with England toiling to a 1-0 victory where they proved to be some way short of impressive.
And speaking on talkSPORT, Emmanuel Petit hit out at Southgate for asking Alexander-Arnold to play in that position.
“When I look at the game of Trent Alexander-Arnold, I was thinking he is lost on the pitch, he doesn’t know what to do, tactically in terms of defending but as well when he got the ball,” he said.
“I get the feeling that sometimes he is lost on the pitch. But he is not the only one. This is the responsibility of the manager. I am sorry to say that.”
Some comments about Trent Alexander-Arnold have been unfair
A lot of the discourse concerning Alexander-Arnold has arguably been extremely unfair, even if Petit is more critical of Southgate than the Liverpool man.
No England player proved to be particularly impressive against Serbia, with Bukayo Saka potentially the standout in the first-half. So focusing on Alexander-Arnold’s struggles seems harsh, and it would be no surprise if he did grow into the tournament.
England now have one foot in the knockout stages with their victory, so perhaps Southgate would be wise to continue with Alexander-Arnold alongside Declan Rice in the next couple of games, as he could be a difference-maker if everything clicks.