New Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has faced the press for the first time since taking over from Jurgen Klopp.
Slot has been getting himself familiar with his surroundings on Merseyside for the past couple of weeks.
Friday saw that take a big leap forward as pre-season got underway at the AXA Training Centre. As well as meeting some of the Liverpool squad for the first time, Slot also met a room full of reporters.
The new head coach did not go into any great detail about any of the players he has inherited from Klopp.
However, having praised Cody Gakpo, Slot did also briefly throw in an intriguing comment about Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Arne Slot outlines Trent Alexander-Arnold conversation
Alexander-Arnold has been one of the most talked about players throughout the ongoing European Championship.
The Liverpool academy graduate has been struggling in midfield for England, with Gareth Southgate accused of ‘hanging Alexander-Arnold out to dry‘ by Gary Lineker.
Once he eventually returns to Liverpool, there will be a big question mark over what Slot sees Trent’s best position as being.
The midfield experiment has not really worked for England. However, that does not mean that things would not look better for Liverpool. Ultimately, the choice will be left with Slot and his coaching team.
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As a result, Slot was asked during Friday’s press conference for his initial thoughts on where Alexander-Arnold – and also Gakpo – will play for him. Wisely, the Dutch coach kept his cards close to his chest.
“I don’t have an opinion on what their [Gakpo and TAA] best positions would be at their countries because that always depends on the other players you have as well,” Slot replied.
“You cannot judge a player on his own, it’s always a team effort.
“I do have my opinion about where they are going to play here,” he added. “But if you don’t mind I’m going to talk to them about that first and work with them first before telling it here.”
Where will Trent Alexander-Arnold play under Arne Slot?
Slot was at pains to point out that his tactical system is very fluid during Friday’s meeting with the press.
As a result, we’d perhaps predict that the 45-year-old will likely lean towards keeping Alexander-Arnold in his hybrid midfield/right-back role.
Trent is one of Liverpool’s most creative players. Therefore, it makes sense to give him more freedom than the other players.
By the sounds of it plenty of his teammates will also have a relatively flexible role themselves. So, we’d suggest that instead of nailing Alexander-Arnold down to a set position, Slot will use him wherever he sees best on a game-by-game basis.
Like everything else to do with how the new boss sees his new squad though, we’ll just have to wait and see.
