Slot defends Alexander-Arnold amid criticism of Liverpool’s defensive issues

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has addressed criticism directed at right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, stating that while he recognises patterns in the goals his team concedes, the blame cannot be placed on Alexander-Arnold.

The England international faced heavy scrutiny after Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw by Manchester United on Sunday. United’s first goal came through Lisandro Martinez following an attack down Liverpool’s right, and their second was from Amad Diallo, who converted a cross from the same side.

Football statisticians Opta noted that Liverpool’s opponents have 44% of their attacking touches in the left third, which corresponds to Liverpool’s right-hand side. This is the highest ratio in the Premier League, with 35.7% of opposition chances coming from Liverpool’s right, 38.1% from the middle third, and 26.2% from the left.

“I do see a certain pattern in the goals we concede but I don’t see the pattern if it is about Trent. Not at all,” said Slot. “Trent has had one difficult game for us [in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United at Anfield] and maybe a few that were OK to good. Mainly, he has had great games when he played for us this season.”

Slot also defended Alexander-Arnold’s performance in the Carabao Cup first leg against Tottenham, where he came on as a substitute after an hour and had a shot cleared off the line in Liverpool’s 1-0 loss.

“I know there is a lot of focus on him at the moment but I would also like to highlight the focus on how well he did when he came on in the last half hour [against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday] and how our fans reacted to him. That is what pleased me even more during that game,” Slot remarked.

Looking ahead to Liverpool’s FA Cup third-round clash with Accrington Stanley on Saturday, Slot expects to rotate his squad but understands the challenge posed by the League Two side.

“I think every team that plays against us, it is a special occasion but especially for a lower league team,” said the Dutchman. “They will be up for it, they have looked forward to this game for many weeks. If you go to a Champions League final, everyone is completely hyped up and ready and, for them, that will feel like it is the Champions League final, so we have to be aware of that. It’s up to us to be ready for them wanting to play the best game of their lives and that is what we have to do as well.”

The post Slot defends Alexander-Arnold amid criticism of Liverpool’s defensive issues first appeared on 3News.

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