Gareth Southgate’s conundrum with Trent Alexander-Arnold is going to give incoming Liverpool boss Arne Slot food for thought.
The full-back was deployed in an intriguing, yet still unfamiliar central midfield role in the Three Lions’ 1-0 victory over Serbia. Alexander-Arnold’s best position has been a frequent point of debate over the last few years – and even Jurgen Klopp has been involved in the discussion.
After the 25-year-old was first deployed in the position in a drab England victory over Andorra in 2021, Klopp questioned the decision in his next press conference. However, even the Liverpool legend appeared to pivot in his view by deploying Alexander-Arnold as an ‘inverted’ full-back which sees him move into central midfield when the Reds have the ball, throughout his final season.
When asked about Alexander-Arnold’s display for England in the middle of the park, England boss Southgate said: “Good. I have to say he’s been really diligent in getting his positioning right.
“Obviously Jude goes forward a lot, so I thought Trent adapted and adjusted to his positioning really well. Used the ball well, obviously had a really good effort on goal. In the end we wanted some fresh legs in there, Conor can get to the ball quickly. We’ve got a squad and we need to use it.”
Slot may have watched Alexander-Arnold’s display with an eye on the future. He will know all about his passing range and creativity.
Initially, when asked about the idea of Alexander-Arnold in central midfield, a bemused Klopp said: “In a game where England is dominant, or when we are that dominant, then Trent could play midfield definitely – I would rather think then the No. 6, or in this case the No. 8, that’s possible. But why make the best right-back in the world a midfielder?
“I don’t understand that really. As if the right-back position is not that as important as the others. If people say that I struggle to really understand how you could think that. Some people think that because he plays 10 yards further up on the pitch he would be more influential.”
Three years later, Klopp moved Alexander-Arnold into central midfield when the Merseysiders were chasing the game against Fulham at Anfield. He moved him into the middle by bringing on Joe Gomez to slot in at right-back.
Klopp’s decision resulted in Alexander-Arnold bagging the winning goal in a dramatic 4-3 victory over the Cottagers. When pitted with the inevitable question about his previous comments, Klopp said: “I’m not stubborn and don’t want to play him in midfield, not at all.
“But I’m not part of the discussion. You can discuss as much as you want, really, but it will not have any influence, we still have to make decisions on what’s best for the team and Trent sees it exactly the same way.
“He wants to play, and from my point of view he has to be influential and we have to make sure we help him with the position, that’s all.”
