After playing Trent Alexander-Arnold in a more central position, Jurgen Klopp has said that while it “suits” his right-back, nothing is “written in stone.”
Over the last two matches, Alexander-Arnold has found himself drifting inside more often, rather than sticking to the touchline.
It is not unusual for the right-back to take up more central positions, he played as a midfielder for the youth team, but this new system alteration is a marked change when Liverpool are in possession.
Klopp insisted that the 24-year-old’s position isn’t “written in stone” but did admit he “has the potential to play there.”
The boss explained how “this slightly advanced role, in this moment, suits him really well.”
The stats back up Klopp’s claim.
Alexander-Arnold made more successful passes (124) against Leeds than in any other game during his career, and also had the second-highest number of touches for a Premier League player in a game this season (153).
Although the scouser played “really well,” Klopp said it was still “a challenge for everyone else to cover the spaces.”
As abovementioned, the move infield is not completely alien to Alexander-Arnold, and Klopp told of how they only had “a week” to work on the tweak.
He added that the role is “slightly different, but not massively to others where Trent wasn’t always right-back.”
“He’s a smart player but it’s about how we set it up around him in moments when we lose the ball, different formations,” the manager continued.
“If Trent shows up there tomorrow, we will see. It’s not the solution for all the football problems this year but he has the potential to play there, that’s clear.
“It’s absolutely fine, we’ll see where it leads to.”
Alexander-Arnold’s teammate, Fabinho, has also been enthused by the full-back’s new role, which has seen the pair sit alongside each other in front of Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson.
“Trent is somebody really good on the ball, with his quality of pass and finding players in behind. We can really use this,” Fabinho told the club’s official website.
“In this position, of course, he will have less time to think but I think he’s a little bit used to being in this position.”
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