Tag: Trent Alexander-Arnold

England’s right back situation is looking dicey ahead of the World Cup

England’s right back picture is extremely murky as the clock ticks down toward Qatar

England has been spoiled for choice at right back in recent years. But as the World Cup nears, the Three Lions are facing something of a crisis at a position that has been a strength for so long.

The latest, and perhaps biggest blow came when Reece James limped out of Chelsea’s midweek Champions League win at AC Milan with a knee injury.

Multiple reports have suggested that James, who has been in outstanding form for club and country, could be set for an operation that would see him miss the World Cup.

“He’s due to see a specialist over the weekend, so until we get that information there’s not too much else I can add unfortunately,” Chelsea head coach Graham Potter said at a press conference on Friday. “The rest would be speculation. We will wait and see. We need to check the discomfort and see a specialist.”

With James out, Kyle Walker would be the logical replacement but the Manchester City man has just undergone a groin operation of his own and is in doubt for the World Cup.

Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold has become a polarizing figure due to the extreme discrepancy between his exceptional attacking prowess and defending that can leave much to be desired. He is also injured at the moment, though he’s only expected to miss two weeks with an ankle problem picked up last weekend.

That brings us to Kieran Trippier. The Newcastle right back was a key figure at the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020, but has only played in two of England’s eight matches this year.

Outside of Trippier, Arsenal’s Ben White, normally a center back who has been playing right back for the Gunners this year, could be in line for a late recall, which has been endorsed by his club coach.

“Ben would be very comfortable playing on the right side of a back three as well as in the middle or as a fullback,” Mikel Arteta said this week.

“If you ask me if he is ready to make that step [to England], then the answer is yes because he is a very confident boy.”

To be sure, it’s a champagne problem for Gareth Southgate to be forced into calling in the starting right back for the Premier League’s top team this year. But it’s still a headache for a manager who wasn’t expecting this much uncertainty a month out from Qatar at a position that’s been such a strength.

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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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Liverpool, Man City treated the Community Shield like a real game

The Community Shield seemed to matter this time

The FA Community Shield functions as a curtain raiser for English soccer, but with Liverpool and Manchester City likely set to battle for every trophy once again, the Premier League giants treated what is ostensibly a friendly like a final.

Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola fielded extremely strong lineups, and kept them out there for the first hour before making subs like…ÂŁ85m addition Darwin NĂșñez. Fans in the crowd roared, both teams lobbied furiously for VAR decisions that went their way, smoke bombs were tossed onto the pitch. If the teams were supposed to just be getting an easy run-out in as part of their preseason preparations, no one told them.

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s beautifully composed 20-yard finish gave the Reds the lead, but new addition JuliĂĄn Álvarez got Man City level on a goal that was initially called off only for VAR, after a spell, to overturn that choice.

VAR was involved again on the winner, as NĂșñez’s header struck RĂșben Dias. This wait was even longer, but in the end Mohamed Salah was granted a spot kick after Dias was judged to have handled the ball, and the Egyptian fired home the winner.

Even with Liverpool facing another friendly Sunday—they’ll host Strasbourg at Anfield—they were playing at their familiar high tempo, and NĂșñez improvised a header in stoppage time to get Liverpool their first trophy of the year.

That said, there was still a preseason sort of moment mixed in. Even deeper into stoppage time, Erling Haaland somehow managed to fire into the stands when standing in front of an open net, capping off a frustrating day at the office for Man City’s biggest summer addition.

Still, the fact was that it felt like it mattered, rather than simply being one more game in the mess of preseason fixtures. Teams generally brush off a Community Shield loss, especially when their opponent isn’t supposed to contend for much in the coming season (see: Man City losing to Leicester City last season).

But when you’re Liverpool, coming off of a season that kept ending with second-place finishes, it makes sense to throw down the gauntlet to Man City and the rest of the league. And if you’re City, of course you want to maintain your place as England’s best team.

Sometimes this kind of ceremonial season kick-off kind of game can just sort of drift by. They give a trophy out, and no one spends time thinking about it again for the rest of the year.

This time, between these two teams? It feels like the first chapter of a saga.

See the goals that won Liverpool the Community Shield

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Steph Curry pledges donation to Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold’s charity raffle

Steph Curry pledged to donate ÂŁ40,000 worth of entries to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s charity raffle with proceeds going to the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

On Thursday, the Liverpool Football Club was crowned champions of the English Premier League for the first time in 30 years. After taking out Crystal Palace 4-0, Liverpool’s 21-year-old right-back decided to give back.

Trent Alexander-Arnold organized a charity raffle for the Nelson Mandela Foundation. The English footballer is raffling off his cleats from Liverpool’s Merseyside derby against Everton for ÂŁ1 per ticket. “Black Lives Matter” are striped across Alexander-Arnold’s boots.

After seeing Alexander-Arnold’s charity raffle, Stephen Curry joined the cause. The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player pledged to match the first 40,000 tickets for Alexander-Arnold’s raffle.

Via @StephenCurry30 on Twitter:

In the past, Curry met with Alexander-Arnold at Wembley Stadium in London. The duo exchanged custom football kits and shoes. Curry traded a red pair of his signature Under Armour kicks for Alexander-Arnold’s boots.

Via @GSWarriorsLATAM on Twitter:

Curry wasn’t the only member of the Golden State Warriors to reach out to the young Liverpool star this week. After hurrying a thrilling free-kick goal against Crystal Palace, Steve Kerr took to Twitter to celebrate Alexander-Arnold’s blast. Kerr called the goal “nasty.”

Via @SteveKerr on Twitter:

With the Golden State Warriors season officially over, all eyes will be on Alexander-Arnold as Liverpool finishes out the English Premier League season and prepares for the Champions League.

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Steve Kerr gives shoutout to Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold for ‘nasty’ free-kick goal

Steve Kerr called Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick goal against Crystal Palace “nasty.”

While the NBA is preparing to make its return, the English Premier League is officially underway. When it comes to English football, Steve Kerr sides with Liverpool. On Wednesday, the Golden State Warriors head coach tuned in for the Reds matchup at Anfield with Crystal Palace.

In the 22nd minute with the score notched at zero, Trent Alexander-Arnold lined up for a free-kick from 25 yards out. With a bevy of Crystal Palace defenders lined up in front of him, Alexander-Arnold blistered a curling shot by Wayne Hennessey into the top-right pocket of the back of the net.

The 21-year-olds thrilling free-kick set the tone for Liverpool’s 4-0 victory at Anfield.

Watch Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick goal via @LFC on Twitter:

After watching Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson roam the court and launch 3-pointers, it’s safe to say Kerr is a fair judge of what makes a shot entertaining. Kerr went to Twitter to praise the goal. The longtime Liverpool fan called Alexander-Arnold’s strike “nasty.”

Via @SteveKerr on Twitter:

With Liverpool’s victory over Crystal Palace and Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Manchester City, the Reds locked up their first Premier League championships in 30 years. After Chelsea’s clinching victory for Liverpool, Kerr retweeted a handful of messages celebrating the 2020 EPL title.

The next time Kerr tunes in to watch Liverpool, the Reds will don a gold EPL patch on their sleeves.

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