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It was probably the sight that everyone associated with Liverpool feared, but seeing Trent Alexander-Arnold limping against Manchester City hurt more than a loss would have. Not only because of his individual injury, but because of the fact that he adds to the growing list of players already on the sidelines.
When you consider that Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho, Thiago Alcântara and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were no longer available, the last thing Liverpool needed was an injury to one of their star players. Sadly, Alexander-Arnold had a calf problem in the second half at the Etihad and we faced an anxious wait to discover the extent of the problem.
There is no point at this stage to speculate on how long Alexander-Arnold will be absent, we can only hope that he makes a recovery as soon as possible. The only good thing is that the two-week international break gives him and Liverpool time for him to recover from the intense run of matches that awaits them at Christmas and New Years.
Liverpool is hoping its academy graduate Kirkby makes a quick recovery as he has become so vital to the way Jürgen Klopp sets up his squad. When he left the field on Sunday, he noted that his replacement, James Milner, did not have the same attacking instinct that has made Alexander-Arnold the best in the world at his position.
You just have to look at Alexander-Arnold’s numbers going forward to see how important he has become for Liverpool. So far this season he is averaging 2.56 passes per game leading to a shot on goal (via FBref), but that’s lower than what he has been achieving in previous seasons. Last season, during the Premier League title win, he averaged 4.11 key passes per game, and the year before he had a 3.11 average that helped win the Champions League.
Yes, the numbers show that he hasn’t been as effective in front of goal as previous seasons, but he continues to outperform most of his teammates. So far this season, only Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané and Naby Keïta average more goal chances per game, and winger Andy Robertson has fewer than Alexander-Arnold despite having an impressive starting couple of months.
Those are the numbers that analyze Alexander-Arnold’s offensive influence, but what you notice is how much he has developed the defensive side of his game. How strong he is against rival forwards is often overlooked, but this season he has definitely stepped up a notch.
If you look at Alexander-Arnold’s rush numbers, his success rate is 33.7 percent, higher than in either of the previous two seasons. And it’s not just about pushing where it has improved, but also about addressing. Managing a 53.3 percent success rate, which is the highest he has averaged in his professional career.
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There is no doubt that Liverpool have become more stable in terms of maintaining their team’s form and not committing as many lengths forward as they used to in the early days of Klopp’s tenure. To win titles, you need to have that defensive discipline on your locker so you can deal with attacking teams like Man City.
The evolution of the Alexander-Arnold game means Liverpool are becoming more unpredictable. You never know which team you will face each week; be it the side of ‘heavy metal’ that we were all used to seeing in the early days, or the more pragmatic approach that has seen them win the Champions League and the Premier League in the last two seasons.
It is imperative for Liverpool that Alexander-Arnold is not on the sidelines for a considerable amount of time. The club has been developing Neco Williams for the last year or so into a similar winger with an offensive flair, but has by no means reached a level where he is challenging a regular first-team spot.
You remove Alexander-Arnold from the team and immediately wonder who can replace him. While Williams is the obvious contender, you wouldn’t be surprised to see Milner go there like he did in the later stages at the Etihad.
The other options are to move Joe Gomez out of his more comfortable center-back position, or even put Fabinho on as right-back, as he did many times during his days in Monaco. The options are there for Liverpool, but there is no doubt that whoever is put in Alexander-Arnold’s place will not be able to have the same effect on the game.
This is not a criticism of the rest of the players, each and every one of them would be able to meet the defensive side of the right back with relative comfort. But none are capable of delivering the quality of attack that Alexander-Arnold has been renowned for in recent years.
The recent injury is a huge blow for Liverpool if they are out of play for an extended period after the international break. The club’s medical department will work 24 hours a day to make sure you are back in shape and available as soon as possible. They have a history of bringing players back earlier than expected, with Alisson Becker being the most recent example.
We can only hope that the injury is not so severe and that the next two weeks will serve as a crucial period for Alexander-Arnold to recover and be ready for the tight match schedule that awaits Liverpool in the near future.
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