In England’s Euro 2024 qualifying match against Malta on Friday, Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold excelled while playing in midfield.
It persisted throughout Liverpool’s ultimately unsuccessful season. The Reds midfield has come under the most intense scrutiny since the first Premier League weekend in August, when Thiago Alcantara hobbled off hamstrung and both Jordan Henderson and Fabinho were far behind the pace.
The fact that 12 different players began a game in the engine room—and don’t forget that on-loan Arthur Melo never made it that far—underscores how Jurgen Klopp was compelled to switch up his lineups throughout the campaign in search of the ideal chemistry.
The key to unlocking Liverpool’s midfield in the latter part of the season and giving them hope of an unlikely Champions League qualification up until the last few days, however, was one player who didn’t start a single game in the position.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s transformation into an inverted right-back and temporary double pivot role alongside Fabinho was the result of a tactical change, which helped the Reds go 11 games without losing. During that time, Alexander-Arnold notched one goal and seven assists.
A much-changed team lost 1-0 at Chelsea in a match sandwiched between both legs of the Champions League semi-final against Roma in 2018, and Alexander-Arnold started in the back three only once for Klopp. He was used frequently in midfield during his Academy years before being converted into a playmaking right-back.
However, according to some observers, the 24-year-old’s future is in the middle of the field. Alexander-Arnold started there for England in their Euro 2024 qualifier on Friday night in Malta, which raised some intrigue.
He had obviously started games for his nation in the middle of the field before. However, the experiment of using him in defensive midfield against Andorra in September 2021 was abandoned after 45 minutes as Chelsea right-back Reece James, who had previously filled the position, switched positions more effectively.
Due to the Liverpool man’s outstanding contribution, there was no chance of an early termination this time. The difference between the performances was like night and day, with Alexander-Arnold quickly emerging as a natural in the number 10 shirt. England manager Gareth Southgate used Alexander-Arnold on the right of the midfield with Henderson on the left and Declan Rice of West Ham United as the number 6.
Yes, the opposition he faced in the last few Premier League games was far tougher than Malta. However, that would not have changed the weight of the pass that sent Bukayo Saka scurrying clear to force the own goal for the opening goal or the ferocious drive that flashed into the top corner from 20 yards for England’s second goal.
And it was Alexander-Arnold’s increased appetite, which Southgate believes has recently “invigorated” the player, that allowed him to regain possession and initiate the sequence that led to a penalty that Harry Kane won and successfully converted.
The Liverpool player has improved over the past few months in terms of his body shape, which makes him more at ease when receiving the ball in midfield and keeps him perpetually on the attack. He did not shirk any of his admittedly meager defensive duties, though.
Between the two occurrences where Alexander-Arnold started for England in midfield, there had been 21 games. The next one won’t require as much of a wait based on this evidence. Additionally, it would have given Klopp something to ponder as he considers how to best restructure his engine room options for the upcoming season.
Alexander-Arnold’s remarkable career may be moving into the next phase right now. He does appear to belong in midfield more so the more often he plays there.
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And in the end, the owners must be satisfied with the investments. “If we like each other, we can work together even after the transfer market. Let’s see. Then we continue or not.”
