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Jurgen Klopp has acknowledged that Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold didn’t have the best of games in the recent defeat to Southampton, but has confidently claimed that he will soon regain his best form.

Alexander-Arnold has been regarded by many as one of the world’s best right-backs in the past few years, which is a real credit to the Reds academy.

The 22-year-old England international has set incredible standards, but he’s not quite been at his sharpest so far in this 2020/21 season.

He’s weighed in with four assists in 19 games across all competitions this term, but he’s capable of so much more offensively and defensively he’s been caught out on a couple of occasions.

Klopp has pointed out a lack of pre-season for Alexander-Arnold, as well as a calf injury mid-campaign that saw him miss a few games.

The Liverpool manager has faith that his star right-back will “soon” be operating at his very best again.

“The criticism is normal. After you play football in public and make people used to the level Trent has shown over the last three or four years, that’s normal. It was obviously not his best game [against Southampton], he knows that and we know that,” Klopp said, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo.

“He had no pre-season really and after, with the quality he has and the situation we were in, he played pretty early for us but he is now getting there, physically he is fine and he will find his top shape rather soon.”

TBR’s View:

It was inevitable that Liverpool players would suffer a drop-off at some stage, with even some of their world-class attackers not firing on all cylinders in the last few games.

But the Merseyside club have been phenomenal in the past couple of seasons and the fact they are still top of the Premier League table after their mini ‘blip’ shows a lot about the amount of quality they possess.

Alexander-Arnold will certainly help add some extra creativity once he’s got his eye in again on the right flank, while he’ll be aware of all the English talent in his position so we’ll be keen to show national team boss Gareth Southgate that he is still the top pick at right-back.