So, uh, Trent Alexander-Arnold really just didn’t try on Man Utd’s opener

The Liverpool right back was a spectator as Jadon Sancho took five touches in the box

At this point, we know the deal with Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The Liverpool right back is exceptional going forward, providing his team with an unparalleled ability to get forward and put in dangerous services from the flank.

When it comes to defending, Alexander-Arnold is, well, not quite as accomplished. Still, there isn’t much excuse for what we witnessed on Manchester United’s opening goal against Liverpool on Monday.

Alexander-Arnold got beat on a one-two on the right side and then just … stopped trying.

He may have felt like his ability to contribute to the play ended after the one-two, but Jadon Sancho made a mockery of that thought process by taking five touches inside the box. After Sancho’s fourth touch, Alexander-Arnold realized he may have been too hasty in giving up and started running toward Sancho.

Too late.

This was not about defensive technique or positioning. It was simply a lack of effort. Ex-Liverpool star Steve Nicol noted the issue on ESPN FC after the game.

“Trent Alexander-Arnold defensively, if I’m being kind, is a liability,” Nicol said.

“We’re not telling [Jurgen] Klopp anything he doesn’t know,” Nicol added. “But what Klopp is doing is he’s basically saying to himself, ‘You know what, we get so much from this kid going forward that we’re going to have to take on the chin what he doesn’t have defensively.’

“And that was OK when the other three were at their best. They made up for him. But it’s every game now, there are problems down that side and they’re finding it hard to cover for him now. Nobody has been able to cover for him. He can’t do it.

“I mean you saw his attempt to try and deal with a one-two, there wasn’t any commitment in it whatsoever. He jogged back into the middle of the park. Now had he sprinted into the penalty box, he might have actually got a challenge on Sancho but he didn’t, he walked.”

Not great!

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