Trent Alexander-Arnold's brilliant defensive level in recent games for Liverpool would have even impressed critics Gary Neville and Roy Keane, Reds expert David Lynch has suggested.
The Liverpool vice-captain has long been lauded for changing the perception of what a modern right-back is capable of, with his exceptional passing range arguably distinguishing him from his peers.
However, for as long as people have praised Trent's ability on the ball, detractors such as Roy Keane have said that the Scouser's defending was weak on a fundamental level, with some going as far as to suggest that he is a liability.
Speaking to Sports Mole about Trent's performance in Liverpool's win against Chelsea at Anfield last Sunday, Lynch argued that the right-back defended brilliantly, saying: "I thought he had a great game. It's unusual you say that when he's having kind of very little impact in possession. But Liverpool didn't have an awful lot of the ball, and also, he was being man-marked throughout the game. So that, you know, he found it hard to get space.
"That was obviously a big part of Chelsea's plan was to close him down. But, you know, the job is there as a fullback is if you can't have impact in possession, then do your job out of possession. And he absolutely did that.
"I'd like to see if, you know, the likes of Gary Neville and Roy Keane watched that game, what they thought of it. I'm sure they would have been very, very impressed with his defending because he was, yeah, he was brilliant."
'He's kicked on a level'
Lynch was also keen to highlight his belief that Trent's defensive performances across the season have been stellar, suggesting that the defender has so far played with more conviction in his one-on-one defending in particular.
"It's no coincidence that Sancho gets dragged off at halftime because he had had zero impact on the game, Trent wasn't allowing him to. And I thought Neto, maybe a touch more dangerous, but as you say, a lot of the time was being forced inside to try and run at the centre-halves because the idea of getting on the outside, he just wasn't getting any change out of Trent whatsoever.
"I do think there has been that little small step up that is maybe, you know, he's even better in his one-on-one defending now. It probably helps as well that he's in a system that is set up and is a little bit more structured and a bit, you know, he's not having to go one-vs-one constantly as he maybe was under Jurgen Klopp, where it was slightly more chaotic or he's not being caught in midfield as much, you know.
"Liverpool pick and choose when they do that inversion now. So I think the system is helping slightly, but I do think there's been a kind of an uptick in his attitude towards the defending as well. And as I say, never as bad as was made out, but he was already very good, but he's kicked on a level."
Over the course of his career, Trent has been accused of routinely failing to stop direct and tricky wingers from gliding past him, with games against the likes of Vinicius Junior and Gabriel Martinelli used as examples of the Englishman's supposed defensive frailty.
However, the right-back is averaging the highest percentage of dribblers tackled in his career so far this Premier League campaign, and has already won 15 tackles, more than half the 26 tackles he won in the top flight last term.
Wrongly overlooked?
© Imago
Perhaps Trent's career for the England national team highlights best just how polarised the perception of Liverpool's vice-captain is, with some fans lamenting the fact that Gareth Southgate never established him as a starter, while others believe that the Scouser was justifiably overlooked.
England reached the final of Euro 2024 but lost 2-1 against Spain, and the decision to not bring Trent on even as a substitute was peculiar.
Southgate has largely opted to use Kyle Walker as his nominal right-back for England, and in the most recent European Championship, the former Three Lions boss initially played Trent in midfield as opposed to his usual position in defence.
The decision to effectively omit the Scouser from his favoured position in the England team bolstered the view that he was incapable of fulfilling his defensive duties at the highest level, but Lynch rubbished such claims.
"I don't want to almost get too wrapped up in [Trent's performance against Chelsea] as, you know, as answering the critics, because I think a lot of the criticism of Trent's defending has been over the top, full stop, you know, over the last few years, because ultimately, you can't win the Champions League, you can't win the Premier League with 90 odd points if you've got an absolute liability defensively on the right-hand side of your defence."
Indeed, Arne Slot's Liverpool have kept five clean sheets in the Premier League this season, and boast the best defensive record in the league having conceded just three times in England's top flight this term.
If Trent continues to showcase his defensive nous as he did against Chelsea, and most recently against RB Leipzig on Wednesday, then perhaps the narrative that surrounds his defending will finally change.
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