Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s response to the post-Fulham clamour for his everlasting use in midfield may effectively have been thought of sturdy sufficient to settle the talk.
As Liverpool earned victory over Sheffield United of their very subsequent outing, the 25-year-old produced an help and 7 key passes from the hybrid position he has made his personal.
And all of this whereas the midfield forward of him have been being fully squeezed out of the sport, as Alexis Mac Allister‘s 13 first-half touches can attest.
But nonetheless the argument over the place he could be greatest used raged on, with a late transfer right into a central place towards Crystal Palace serving to throw additional gas on the hearth.
Nonetheless, even the supervisor’s extra frequent flirtations with Alexander-Arnold in midfield shouldn’t be taken as conclusive proof that he should begin video games from that place.
It’s, for apparent causes, fairly simple to get caught up within the romance of an Adidas Predator-wearing Scouser rising because the heartbeat of the crew.
Nevertheless, if Liverpool’s purpose is to shun romance and maintain exhibiting the kind of type that wins the Premier League, then it’s exhausting to make a case for shifting him out of his present position.
For starters, the Reds are the most effective crew within the division since Alexander-Arnold first tried out his new place when Arsenal visited Anfield in early April, with neither the Gunners or Man Metropolis having picked up as many factors.
What’s extra, the knock-on results {that a} transfer may need on the steadiness of the squad as a complete are usually not insignificant.
He could have been used within the holding position now and again, however Alexander-Arnold isn’t any specialist in defending these areas when in comparison with Wataru Endo and even the bettering Mac Allister.
That would depart the choice of utilizing him as a right-sided No. 8, which may solely occur on the expense of the good Dominik Szoboszlai.
A everlasting swap would additionally go away Joe Gomez, who will certainly be wanted within the center, and the inexperienced Conor Bradley as choices at right-back, which seems like a slight step down from a participant who has received each honour obtainable in that place.
It’s this mixture of potential drawbacks that has former captain Phil Thompson satisfied {that a} change shouldn’t be rushed into.
He instructed This Is Anfield: “I’m combating towards lots of people who need to put him in [central midfield]!
“What works from a training perspective is him arriving in there. It’s a numbers recreation, the numbers that folks have in midfield to mark our midfield three.
“Trent coming in is a little bit of a shock factor, folks don’t choose him up so he’s free. If he goes and stands in there, it turns into a very completely different outlook on the sport.
“I believe there’ll come a time the place Jurgen, as with England, will need to attempt it and it’d work, it won’t work.
“However in the intervening time, issues are going alongside alright, it’s working. If it’s not damaged, don’t try to repair it!”
As Thompson factors out, it’s the specter of man-marking limiting Alexander-Arnold’s affect – for instance, creating six probabilities from right-back at Selhurst Park – that makes essentially the most compelling case for him not for use centrally.
That will not have been an issue when each Fulham and Crystal Palace ceded house to Liverpool’s midfield late in video games to try to defend leads, however in most fixtures will probably be.
So within the brief time period at the very least, it’s most likely greatest that Klopp sticks with what he is aware of and the system that has unexpectedly thrust Liverpool right into a title race.
And even then he’ll at all times have the break-glass possibility of Alexander-Arnold in midfield to tug the Reds out of a sticky scenario.
