Arnold has amazing abilities, so where should he appear to best display his talents? Such a debate has been going on for a long time. The Athletic authors make their own points. He sees no need for Alexander-Arnold to move to midfield, and even in the right-back position, he can continue to show his influence and become a vital member of Liverpool's squad.
There is an argument that Alexander-Arnold's career at Liverpool will be like that of his childhood idol Gerrard, transforming from a dynamic right-back to a very commanding centre-back.
However, Liverpool manager Klopp never wanted to put the 21-year-old Alexander-Arnold in midfield to maximize his influence. In the previous Boxing Day match, Liverpool beat Leicester City in a devastating way, and this game is a good illustration of the problem. Alexander-Arnold was able to fully demonstrate his abilities in the game without having to move to midfield to highlight that – the liverpool academy's best player has shown a master's level at the King Power Stadium.
In Klopp's tactical system, the full-back is the most physically demanding role. On both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, the performances of Arnold and Andrew Robertson play a crucial role, and they need to complete the defensive task while constantly maintaining good coordination with the attacking players. This allows the team to keep creating attacking opportunities on the flanks – of course, Arnold and Andrew Robertson have done their job well.
Now 21 years old, Alexander-Arnold has become one of the few top full-backs in world football, which even Klopp agrees with. In an interview, he said it would be difficult to find a full-back better than Arnold.
Klopp thought it would be difficult to find a better full-back than Arnold
The 4-0 win over Leicester City was undoubtedly a day to remember for Liverpool fans. They showed a strong influence in the game, removing one of the biggest obstacles to winning the coveted league title.
The "battle" between championship teams should not be a one-sided game. But in this game against Leicester City, Liverpool showed absolute dominance and extended their league leader advantage to 13 points after the game.
Although winning the Club World Cup, fatigue has indeed become a major obstacle for Liverpool to continue to move forward. However, from the victory over Leicester City, we can see that Liverpool still maintain their vitality and seem to have a stronger desire to win.
In addition, what makes fans even happier is that the key person in this game is the native Liverpool player Arnold. He grew up not far from melwood training base. He had "spied" gerald, Torres and Harvey Alonso through the fence of the training base.
Arnold is a native of Liverpool whose dream is to win a title for Liverpool
Because of this, after Liverpool's victory over Leicester City, the 3,300 fans who followed the team to the King Power Stadium presented their own singing voice to liverpool's "new king": "He is Alexander Arnold, the Liverpool of our team. ”
Arnold fully deserves such praise. He gave Firmino two brilliant assists in the match and followed by Mane to pierce the Leicester City gate. In addition, Arnold had 105 touches in this game, more than any player on the field. 37 of the 60 passes appeared in the opposing half and completed 17 beautiful crosses.
Arnold assisted Firmino, who scored with a hammer
In 90 minutes, Arnold had a distance of 10.64 km, with only Wijnaldum (10.92 km) and Firmino (11.31 km) running more than him.
Before the game, Liverpool analysed their opponents and found that James Madison was accustomed to cutting inside to leave left-back Ben Chiwell in attacking space on the flanks. That means Arnold can find enough space on this side to look for offensive opportunities. Klopp told his disciples that they needed to take turns storming the left side of Leicester City, and Arnold did it well.
Back in August 2015, Rodgers gave Alexander-Arnold the opportunity to experience first-team play in a pre-season match against Swindon. Although Arnold was only 16 years old at the time, his potential was clear.
Four and a half years later, when Arnold reappeared in front of Rodgers, he was no longer the ignorant teenager he once was, he was already a right-back who had shown the world's top level. Rodgers, who currently coaches Leicester City, said: "For me, when I saw him, he played as a midfielder. His range of passes is amazing. Of course, he started out as a midfielder. He was definitely a surprising player for Klopp. Arnold is England's number one right-back and he has always played at a high level. ”
Rodgers sees Alexander-Arnold at full-back as a midfielder
In the middle of the 2015/2016 season, Alexander-Arnold was reassigned to right-back after talking with Liverpool's head of youth Alex Inglethorpe and academy coach Krichli.
As a child, Alexander-Arnold was a winger and was later transformed into a centre-back, while in liverpool's youth team he played as a defensive midfielder. Alex Inglethorpe and Klitchley believe that a right-back position would be the best way for Alexander-Arnold to reach the first team – there were multiple midfielders in the team at the time, while Joe Gomez and Flanagan were both plagued by injuries. As for Klein, his defensive ability is not too strong.
It also turns out that having Arnold in the right-back position is really a very meaningful piece of advice.
Arnold has been learning. He spent a lot of time studying the performance of Ram and Alves in the game, and learned a lot of skills through learning and imitation.
In October 2016, Klopp gave Arnold a chance to show off his talents, and he recently called him "a big surprise." Klopp admits that while he has no doubts about Alexander-Arnold's skills, he still has doubts about whether Arnold will be able to succeed in the top flight. He said: "He's a talented player but we're not sure if he'll be able to succeed. From the current situation, he is a machine. ”
During his training days at the Liverpool Academy, Arnold received additional guidance from Pepe Lindez (then his academy coach and now Klopp's assistant), who continued until the floodlights at The Cockby Academy were turned off. Such high-intensity training also proved invaluable for Arnold. In addition, Arnold maintained a surprising work ethic and intellectual curiosity.
Arnold became a full-back on the advice of Alex Inglethorpe and Klitchley
While many talented players are buried with their futures because of fame and fortune early in their careers, Arnold is fortunate to have a loving and supportive family. The family has always kept him humble and down-to-earth. Arnold also plans to invest a significant portion of the generous sponsorship he received from Under Armour in the construction of the Merseyside football youth facility by 2020.
On the pitch, Arnold is also a player who is willing to pay. Since last season, he has scored 20 assists in the Premier League, more than any player.
Arnold, along with Mane and Van Dijk, is a strong contender for Liverpool's Player of the Year. He could also become the first England player to win the award since Gerrard. If Arnold can continue to maintain his form, there is a good chance he will win the PFA Player of the Year award.
Since last season, Alexander-Arnold has delivered 20 league assists for Liverpool
Of course, Arnold also has his own problems, although he can continue to give wonderful assists to the team up front, but in comparison, his performance on the defensive end is not so eye-catching. Former Liverpool vice-captain Carragher said recently: "On the defensive end, Alexander-Arnold can sometimes be suspicious and opponents may also think they can find a breakthrough on Alexander-Arnold's side. Because he always wants to move forward. ”
However, in the match against Leicester City, Arnold did not make any mistakes and eventually helped the team to keep a clean sheet. He is vigilant against dangers and will make interceptions and steals at critical moments.
Alexander-Arnold's crossing ability is becoming more and more like Gerrard's, and even though he is extremely fast, he is still able to control the direction of the pass very well. Firmino's goal against Leicester City is a good example.
Arnold again assisted Firmino, who scored twice
When Alexander-Arnold received Mane's pass and broke through the goal guarded by Schmeichel Jr., he crossed his arms around his chest and had a big smile on his face – a goal he celebrated in the way French striker Mbappe liked it. Later, Arnold tweeted: "Mbappe can do anything. ”
Speaking of which, Arnold is one such player.
Arnold received an assist from Mane and broke through the Leicester city gate
At the age of 21, Alexander-Arnold is already champions of the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup. He represented the Three Lions in the World Cup, was named to the PFA Team of the Year and was shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or.
Arnold is a key figure in Liverpool's continued history-making. And there's no doubt that he will be Liverpool's future captain and he doesn't need to accentuate his presence by swapping his place into midfield.
To be the best right-back in the world, that's enough. He will also continue to work in this position to help the team achieve a Premier League title trophy that he has been looking forward to since childhood.
（Armour）