Trent Alexander-Arnold must SHAKE OFF Klopp influence to become player he wants to be

Jurgen Klopp helped develop Trent Alexander-Arnold into the player he is today. Most of the time, that is viewed as a positive. 

The England international is one of the best right-backs in history. He completely transformed how the role is viewed. The No66 played a pivotal part in the Reds conquering England, Europe and the world. At 25-years-old, Alexander-Arnold already has the most assists in Premier League history.

READ MORE: Bayern join Alexander-Arnold chase

Klopp played his part in this. He pieced together a system that allowed the academy graduate to thrive. He put his faith in the youngster when others wouldn’t have done so. The former BVB boss was rewarded for his bravery.

And while Klopp deserves the plaudits for his role in Alexander-Arnold’s career, there is a case to be made for the German to take some of the blame for the right-back's perceived defensive frailties.

Klopp: My full-backs have to attack

In Ian Graham’s book How to win the Premier League, Liverpool’s former Director of Research gave readers a glimpse into Klopp’s thinking on full-backs.

When detailing the search for a left-back, Graham revealed that Andy Robertson was third on the club’s wishlist. However, Liverpool weren’t able to compete with Manchester City for Benjamin Mendy while Emerson Palmieri got injured. The Hull City man's statistical profile was mixed.

Football - FA Premier League - Liverpool FC v Wolverhampton Wanderers FC LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, May 18, 2024: Liverpool s Andy Robertson during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC at Anfield. Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda LIVERPOOL Anfield MERSEYSIDE ENGLAND PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUK Copyright: xDavidxRawcliffex P2024-05-19-Liverpool_Wolves-28

“I was really not certain of Robertson’s defending when he arrived, and it was Jurgen who said, ‘My full-backs have to attack, we can fill in for his defence,’” Graham recalled.

This wasn’t exclusive to Robertson either.

Klopp's midfield 'workhorses'

There’s a reason that the Reds turned their midfielders into workhorses for a period of time. Jordan Henderson was regularly tasked with covering for Alexander-Arnold at right-back. The system seemed to unburden the 31-cap international and free him up from defensive duties to let him focus on final-phase contributions.

So Alexander-Arnold and Robertson could attack, safe in the knowledge that Fabinho, Gini Wijnaldum and Henderson were sweeping up behind them.

His formative years in the first team were spent as an offensive threat who would, occasionally, need to defend. And when given the task of defending, he usually did a decent job. His performance against Leroy Sane during the 2017/18 Champions League run always stands out as proof of what he could do when required.

Trent NOW wants to improve

But Klopp’s mindset of his full-backs not needing to defend likely rubbed off on the right-back. At times, he appeared lazy and uninterested. Probably because he felt as though that wasn’t his job and there was never any focus on that being his primary objective.

Recent comments made by Alexander-Arnold have been quite eye-opening. They hint at him wanting to develop and improve as a defender.

"We talked about targets and aims and I said to him that I would like to be the defender that no-one wants to come up against in Europe," the No66 said.

"We agreed that he will be harsh on me. Any time an attacker gets past me he will call it out in meetings and individual meetings and say this cannot happen. We go through every game together, our highlights and where he wants me to improve. Even the Milan game, we had about 20 clips going through what I could have done better and the good parts as well.

"It is really refreshing to have a manager who will help and guide and teach me how to be better. I am someone who wants to learn, someone who strives to be the best ever."

Bradley backs up the point

The extra focus on his defensive duties appears to be a motivator for the right-back. And he isn’t the only Liverpool full-back to mention this. Conor Bradley said something similar in the build-up to the Carabao Cup game against West Ham United.

“[We’ve been working on] Loads of different things. Obviously the runs I make into the final third from right-back, things like my defending and stuff like that as well, so just every part of my game [and] trying to make me overall a better player. So, I’ve really enjoyed working under him and it’s been a really good start.”

Conor Bradley Trent Alexander-Arnold

This isn’t necessarily a dig at Klopp. He wanted something in particular from his full-backs and he went about ensuring they could deliver on what he demanded by freeing them up.

But could he have done more to develop them into more well-rounded players? Slot is adding to the defensive game of Bradley and Alexander-Arnold and it is working. Liverpool are keeping clean sheets and are limiting the opposition’s chances, all while being an offensive threat.

Klopp helped develop Alexander-Arnold into the player he is today. The good and the bad.

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