Damien Duff delivers scathing assessment of two Liverpool players

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Damien Duff has taken aim at Liverpool stars Trent Alexander-Arnold and Nat Phillips during his analysis on RTE – as per Balls.ie – after Jurgen Klopp’s side suffered a 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid on Tuesday night.

The Reds were taken apart, largely by a midfield masterclass from experienced duo Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie. Both got an assist, while Kroos created the other.

It was Kroos that opened up the Liverpool defence first, finding Vinicius Jr who finished well. Then, a Kroos pass was inexplicably headed across his penalty area by Alexander-Arnold – allowing Marco Asensio to loft over Alisson.

A third goal was scored when Modric found Vinicius, and Phillips caught on his heels. A 3-1 advantage going into the second leg, Duff hammered both Phillips with Alexander-Arnold for their defensive performances.

“I hate hammering young lads. Phillips, is he going to have a Liverpool career? Possibly not. Does he [Alexander-Arnold] have to go to a tournament? He doesn’t defend, he absolutely doesn’t defend,

“You could argue he’s given away two or three goals tonight. He’s unbelievable on the ball, the most technical player you’ll see around, but defending wise…he seems like the last thing on his mind is ‘I have to defend the ball’.”

TBR’s view – Alexander-Arnold playing with enormous pressure

Every ball he kicks, between now and the summer, is going to be analysed. Following Gareth Southgate’s decision to leave him out of the England squad ahead of Euro 2020, his performances are going to be scrutinised.

On Saturday, he was excellent. His attacking prowess put Arsenal to the sword and they went on to win 3-0. But on Tuesday night, when more defending was required, he was simply nowhere near the needed standard.

Unfortunately for the England man, every time he makes a mistake, the microscope will make it 10 times worse.