Trent Alexander-Arnold

[Doc_Piptorious]

It's not just the direct assists with Trent though.

It's how his elite passing is the platform for our build up.

He's a really unique profile, we won't find another right back who does that, even if they do get comparable goals and assists.

He's our playmaker, we're going to need to replace that aspect somewhere else in the team.

His secondary assist numbers are very average to the past two seasons.

His passing WAS elite, now his pass completion numbers are quite average over the course of a season.

Does he have games in which his chance creation and pass completion etc etc are of top tier quality? He very much does, but those games are not a regular thing like they once were.

He is still a very good full back in terms of creation and actual return but he is not elite on a regular basis and certainly not on the level of being elite that the wages he is suggested to want would warrant.

Imo of course.


He has been a great player for us during his time at Liverpool. Truly great for a number of seasons imo, but he is now at least two seasons in a row of being good rather than great.

And yes we would need to replace what he used to bring to the team on a regular basis, but doing so does not require us finding one brilliant player. We may well be able to bring those numbers and that creation of chances through bringing in a couple players.


If he goes to a club like Real Madrid or does a bit of a holy crap move and goes somewhere like City, it will suck as he is clearly a good player who has shown in the past that he can be a great player, but we will replace his numbers in the team be it through finding another unicorn or most likely through a few players chipping in.


We have been very lucky as a fanbase in that we have seen scores of amazing players that we thought we would never replace, then some time later we get a new amazing player that makes us great in another way. Same thing will happen again and again even if we have to have a few lulls inbetween the highs.

[vlahka]

Also hes a **** defender. Has the record for being passed by in 1 game. We can 100% do better at the fraction of the cost/wages.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Also hes a **** defender. Has the record for being passed by in 1 game. We can 100% do better at the fraction of the cost/wages.

Think it would be fairer to say he is an average (by PL levels) defender these days than a **** one.


For me, and of course opinions make it subjective, at his peak he was a good defender and a great attacker.

The past two seasons he has, imo, been a good attacker (for a fullback) and an average defender.


Do agree that we could do better in terms of return vs wages. For me if we added say Kerkez and Cherki to our squad, they would most like cost less in combined wages than TAA on his own and would wager that between them they would rack up more goals, assists and chances created over a season than TAA on his own.


We might replace TAA with two players that individually might not reach the same heights in their positions to what TAA has done in his, but what we lose in individual brilliance we might be able to replace through making the team unit stronger overall.

[Doc_Piptorious]

And I know there is a Mark79 retort heading my way. Just want to say that unless it is a Mark3 reply it simply does not count

[Mark79]

Also hes a **** defender. Has the record for being passed by in 1 game. We can 100% do better at the fraction of the cost/wages.

By a player with zero end product. Was Trent actually that bad, or was there a tactical element of not wasting too much energy stopping Doku. Let him go past and wait for him to give the ball back to us with one of his nowhere passes?

[Mark79]

And I know there is a Mark79 retort heading my way. Just want to say that unless it is a Mark3 reply it simply does not count

I was going to say, that was a very insightful and enlightening reply you provided.

One that made me stop and reconsider my own opinion.

But, unfortunately, since this is a Mark79 reply, the above is not applicable

[Kenneth]

By a player with zero end product. Was Trent actually that bad, or was there a tactical element of not wasting too much energy stopping Doku. Let him go past and wait for him to give the ball back to us with one of his nowhere passes?

The former sounds most likely to me. I'm not saying he was really bad, but we didn't plan it.

[Mark79]

The former sounds most likely to me.

Ok. Either way, it’s a single stat from one game.

[danperkins]

Bradley has only been available for about 50% of our games for the past 2 seasons. It's far too risky to rely on him as our starting right back in the immediate future.

We need to replace Trent with someone who can be our 1st choice right back, not a squad player.

valid points, it is a genuine concern.

[Doc_Piptorious]

I was going to say, that was a very insightful and enlightening reply you provided.

One that made me stop and reconsider my own opinion.

But, unfortunately, since this is a Mark79 reply, the above is not applicable

Enough said.

[Buzzo]

It's not just the direct assists with Trent though.

It's how his elite passing is the platform for our build up.

He's a really unique profile, we won't find another right back who does that, even if they do get comparable goals and assists.

He's our playmaker, we're going to need to replace that aspect somewhere else in the team.

Yeah the pre-assist. I think that’s the bit that is unquantifiable and Trent is the best passer in our squad.

[spud_gun]

Is there a pre-pre-assist?

[Charly]

Also hes a **** defender. Has the record for being passed by in 1 game. We can 100% do better at the fraction of the cost/wages.

The problem for me is he has gotten worse at defending (or feels like it) at the same time his attacking stats have dropped off too. The question is, has he stopped putting the effort in? I feel like we can do better at RB, but that does take away the other things he does add, being our only real eye for a forward pass (other than Elliott, who slot aint a fan of).

A traditional RB and a playmaker in Nunez' position would make sense. Id have loved Trent from 5 years ago though

[Rich]

I don’t believe his defending is worse. He’s a very good defender, just not top class.

[vlahka]

No he isnt that good. Theres a reason 99% of teams always attack us mostly down our right.