Liverpool players have had a very mixed time of things at Euro 2024 so far.
With every one of the 24 teams having now played, all 10 Liverpool representatives have had their chance to play.
Not all of them have made it out onto the pitch. Six out of 10 isn’t great, really. Ryan Gravenberch, Vitezslav Jaros, Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate all missed out.
Between the half-dozen who did play, Cody Gakpo was perhaps the standout, bagging himself a goal and doing well for the Netherlands. Diogo Jota also had a lively cameo off the bench for Portugal on Tuesday.
For everyone else, it was a bit of a mixed bag, with one Liverpool player in particular coming in for some heavy scrutiny.
Emmanuel Petit says Trent Alexander-Arnold ‘looks lost’
Few players in recent memory have ignited debate quite like Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Liverpool academy graduate just seems to bring out the worst in some pundits.
Trent started in midfield for England against Serbia on Sunday and the reaction from the likes of Jamie O’Hara was predictably over the top.
The Liverpool right-back was not especially amazing for England, that’s true. But he did everything that was asked of him and – one almost costly giveaway aside – looked fine.
Not so, according to former Arsenal and France midfielder Emmanuel Petit. Speaking on TalkSPORT on Tuesday, Petit claimed that Alexander-Arnold ‘looked lost’ in midfield.
READ MORE: Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham react to Trent Alexander-Arnold display in midfield for England
However, the World Cup winner was keen to stress that the blame for this lay not with Trent himself, but rather with manager Gareth Southgate.
“When I look at the game of Trent Alexander-Arnold I’m thinking he looks lost on the pitch,” says Petit.
“He doesn’t know what to do tactically in terms of defending but as well when he gets the ball. I get the feeling he’s lost on the pitch, but he’s not the only one.
“This is the responsibility of the manager and I’m sorry to say that.”
What comes next for Trent Alexander-Arnold?
Given that the reaction was not especially positive, it will be interesting to see whether Southgate keeps Alexander-Arnold in midfield for Thursday’s game with Denmark.
In our opinion, the England manager will likely buckle and resign Liverpool’s No.66 to the bench.
Should that happen, it would feel unlikely that Alexander-Arnold could then regain his spot for the rest of the tournament unless through injury.
From a Liverpool point of view, it could all have lasting impact. Arne Slot will no doubt be watching on with interest as he decides just what to do with Trent back at Anfield.
If Southgate does show faith in the Scouser – as he really should – then he’ll surely only grow into the role and eventually find himself.
Interesting times ahead for Trent. Hopefully he can convince more if given another shot.