Many urged Trent Alexander-Arnold to switch to midfield, claiming that it was a better position for him given his skill set, since he was winning games with possession at right-back but had defensive problems for years. Having been repurposed into a hybrid role that sees him play central midfield but only when Liverpool has the ball, Jürgen Klopp is being instructed to commit to making a full-time number six or eight.
“After Alexander-Arnold’s equalizing goal against Manchester City last weekend, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher stated that Liverpool haven’t got a back-up for the Englishman because it’s hard to get quality to sign to sit on the substitutes bench.” “I would love to see Liverpool sign a right-back who can start in pivotal roles and force Alexander-Arnold into the middle of the field. That might be the move for Liverpool to use him as a midfield player.”
Although Klopp is accustomed to scrutiny surrounding Alexander-Arnold’s role, he should prepare for additional inquiries now that England manager Gareth Southgate appears to be committed to playing him centrally. Even after the match at the Etihad, captain Virgil van Dijk was made to concede the point, but he would not accept a tie. He remarked, via This is Anfield, “I don’t know, that’s for the coaches that work with him.” “I think for the moment he’s playing just fine where he is right now.”
Conversely, when Liverpool loses, some fans demand that he be brought back as a pure right-back, claiming that the inverted strategy was effective for a club that lacked midfield depth the previous campaign and ought to be abandoned following the summer’s rebuild. The idea is that Klopp should go back to the 4-3-3 style that won the Premier League and the Champions League since he has more athleticism and technical skill in that area.
Is it not possible that Klopp has discovered the ideal middle ground? He understands that he shouldn’t unnecessarily limit Alexander-Arnold, allowing him the freedom to move around where he can be most productive and impact games as a playmaker who can drop deep and find the last pass. He can accomplish this from both his more conventional wide spots (he’s still in the top 20 for crosses with 50, despite missing two games and sitting out another) and central areas (he ranks fourth in the league for through balls with 10).
“He has that freedom to mix it up and he has to do that because you see teams are working it out at times, so he has to be able to switch from staying on the outside and going on the inside as well,” Van Dijk says.
Furthermore, even in situations where Joël Matip, a less athletic and older player, has replaced Ibrahima Konaté in the starting lineup, the pre-season concerns about the right-sided center-back being overstretched haven’t really materialized. To put it briefly, the balance appears to be rather good, but you run the risk of disturbing it if you shift him back to the right of a four.
A full-time move into midfield, however, would require giving up one of the current trio or an attacker, which may upset the balance of the team. It’s important to emphasize that not all of the credit should go to Klopp. Assistant manager Pep Lijnders came up with the first concept for this, even going so far as to wager his pay on its success (via the Training Ground Guru Podcast). He will undoubtedly be able to hang onto it.
Although Alexander-Arnold has only assisted three goals in 15 games this season, his individual stats aren’t very impressive, but Liverpool is stronger as a team as a result of the system shift. With an inverted full-back, it has won fifteen league games, drawn seven, and lost just one. Its average points per game during that time would be little under 86 for the entire season.
Thus, it appears that this is the strategic shift that could serve as “Liverpool 2.0’s” cornerstone. There’s definitely no need to abandon it at this time.
