Danny Murphy issues verdict on Trent Alexander-Arnold as Liverpool lose

Add as preferred source on Google

Danny Murphy has told talkSPORT that he actually believes that Trent Alexander-Arnold may have actually got worse defensively following his performance against Real Madrid, describing the Liverpool star’s performance as bizarre.

The Reds, of course, are coming to terms with a disappointing loss in the first-leg of their Champions League tie with Los Blancos. The result was all the more agonising as it was Jurgen Klopp’s men who took a 2-0 lead.

From there, Real were relentless. It was 2-2 by half-time. And they had five within 23 minutes of the second-half. Unsurprisingly, Anfield was left in shock. And Liverpool now face a monumental task if they hope to get through in in the Bernabeu.

Murphy criticises Trent Alexander-Arnold

The problem for the Reds is that so many of their star players are not performing. And Alexander-Arnold is one of those who has not been at the races.

There have been glimpses. He produced one of the assists of the season in the win at Newcastle. But Murphy believes that his ability at the back may be becoming too much of an issue for Liverpool.

“Poor defensively, couldn’t cope. Could not cope. He doesn’t see the danger The bizarre thing, watching the game live, Trent did some things last night, some of his passing and crossing, that not many right-backs in the world can do from an attacking point of view. But then he’s doing some things defensively that you wouldn’t expect players to do in the lower leagues,” he told talkSPORT.

“It’s like it’s got worse for him, not better.”

It is strange that Alexander-Arnold’s defending remains such an issue. He has been dealing with criticism for some time now.

Some of the criticism has simply been unfair. Murphy himself notes that Mo Salah does not help him at all when it comes to defending.

But to the untrained eye, it is hard to understand what Jurgen Klopp is seeing that prevents him from seemingly demanding more from the 24-year-old.

He is far from being the only player to prove to be below par this season. But this can no longer be considered a blip for a number of their star men.

And Alexander-Arnold is one of those it is getting harder and harder to defend.