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Liverpool opened their Premier League season with a 1-1 draw away to Chelsea. While Jurgen Klopp’s side started strongly, they lost their way in the game at Stamford Bridge & were second best for large spells of the game.
While their search for a defensive midfielder rumbles on, Trent Alexander-Arnold is being tested as an inverted full back. But is Klopp’s experiment working for the English right back?
JJ Bull and Jon Mackenzie sit down to discuss just how Liverpools tactical gamble on Trent is playing out.
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33 Comments
The commentators from one of the last games last season kept calling TAA introverted.
The shoes question is wild 😂
I enjoy how JJ's hair is Jon's beard and JJ's stubble is Jon's hair.
I don't think it's working – end of last season the hybrid role worked. As a RB he isn't good enough, and in midfield he doesn't have the physical strength needed for midfielders – his possession is weak.
It feels like so much money to spend to make TAA “work” when it seems like he should have just been playing at RCM in a 3. It’s quite interesting that Southgate has now tried him there twice in England before Klopp has really given it a go; and with that being said, the Szobozlai signing seems really superfluous. Surely the money should have gone into a Florentino Luis, Ibrahim Sangare or Edson Alvarez?
The one positive I saw on Sunday was that Szobozlai seems to have the work rate and understanding to get back and cover for TAA. Although whether that’s the best use of him is also debatable. In fact – hasn’t he been bought to play through balls from in the half spaces? Shouldn’t this encourage Klopp to play TAA out wide again? If he could defend… it all seems like a bit of a mess.
No. It’s a needlessly over complicated system which is causing a lot of players, especially in defense, to simply not know where to be, and it gives other teams an easy game plan (attack the wings). There is a reason City did so much better after Pep simplified their system. Liverpool have lost their way on and off the pitch.
Liverpool just don't have the personnel to play in that system. As good as Robertson is as a wingback he can't play the Semi CB role that is required from him now. Newcastle for example have Dan Burn playing as a fullback strictly to allow Trippier to be more involved. You wouldn't want to take away from Robertsons abillity just to get Trent into midfield when he's brilliant everywhere he plays.
After 1 match 😂
TAA…..the new John Stones
IDK if Trent can play in midfield full time either, sometimes his work rate doesn’t look good.
I like these videos with John a lot more than when he's solo
didnt work with chelsea. he looks rusty.
The only experiment pool needs is to analyse why they are getting rejected😂
Let klopp do his job.
Literally all we need is a DM that can drop into the back 3 when Trent konate or Robbo push out or buy a left sided centre back and drop Robbo so we actually have a solid base
The biggest reason they’ve kept with it is that it’s pretty clear Trent has been sick of being stuck out at rb for at least 12 months at this point.
I like the “are you wearing shoes? He’s wearing shoes” transition.
Can you please experiment/play with the form more in future? We need a touch of surrealism again
I think what it affords Liverpool is the flexibility to play it in whatever games they want, once they sign a DM of course. Just that alone will stop teams being able to combat the classic 433 like they have been the past 2 seasons.
Sign a Rb! Macca Trent & Slobo midfield
We can’t keep playing around Trent like this robbo is out of position we have no one to cover Trent and he ends up tracking back to rb and ends up being useless in attack and struggling to defend off the wing it’s a joke
Buy s CDM and a CB and try 3 4 3, having Zsobo and TTA like spare Wmans when deffending. They have great stamina and can di the job.
Too many tinkering too many trials.
Really depends on the game and the opponent. I can see him being more stationary could benefit him and the team. But when he succeeds with being more central, he's damn good. He sure got potential. But he's relying on the team to have a good day and with a proper DM and something to the defence it's hard for Liverpool to keep a attack going. Their midfield just gets manhandled and it's a problem.
Just f play him as number 8.
I rather have Gomes as right back.
McAllister no6, Szo and Trent no8.
Klopp needs to choose what side they attack from and sign that side cb van der ven would be a great signing for lcb or pavard for rcb
Liverpool are finished they’re done. No point talking about them
Henderson wasn't always the most spectacular player but his positional awareness and ability to cover that right side when Trent went forward has been crucial to all of our success, as was Fabinho's ability to play as a thrid CB before his form went down the toilet. So we've removed those two defensive covers for his limitations and added absolutely nothing. We've taken one major, ongoing defensive issue and exposed it further.
Playing him further forward definitely adds to our attacking game, but only if you sign an RB, a DM, and, ideally, another CB. Instead, we've sold three players who can play DM (Fabinho, Henderson, and Milner, who can also play RB) and brought in no defensive players. It's absolute madness and we are acting like complete amateurs.
We used to go toe to toe with City. Now, as a club, we are choosing to be in the 3rd-7th place tier, while City and Arsenal make decisive moves in the transfer market, building from a position of strength. It's baffling.
Why are we overlooking TAA as a CDM???… And then all we need to do is to get defensive cover…. 🤷🏾♂️ And if we need evidence of his ability to play there, here's a clue, he's a natural midfielder who plays in our defence 🤷🏾♂️👌🏽
All the troubles for one player, a team's system shouldn't be so compromised by the obsession of having a single player do whatever he wants, unless you're talking about prime Messi or something like that. TAA is good for passing but he is not a good RB, just get a real RB and play TAA as a RM or RCM where he doesn't have as much defensive responsibilities and get a real defender to play as RB. Most opponent goals come from that right flank, it's too much of a weakness to let it continue like that.
Think we should bring Gomez in as a 3rd CB and drop robertson if we’re going to keep Trent in midfield
As a short term solution, liverpool may need to play with 3 at back, to get best out of aging van dijk (kind of like thiago silva at chelsea), so left sided defender may be needed, Robertson is better going forward
Just buy a proper rightback and play tent in the de buyrne position, job sorted. Its almost gemanic stubbornness a little like Totto wolf carrying on with the non competitive Merc.