OPINION
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has made a strange habit this season of dropping Trent Alexander-Arnold for Dejan Lovren in big games.
The change typically sees centre back Joe Gomez move out to right back in order to accommodate the big Croatian. However, in Wednesday’s 2-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain we saw the folly of Klopp’s team selection.
The German needs to look himself in the mirror and admit that he made a big mistake dropping Alexander-Arnold against the French heavyweights.
Clearly Klopp adores Lovren and feels that the team is somehow more solid when he’s in there, but it’s clear that it’s not something that’s going to work against the top teams. Liverpool’s defence has looked best this year when it’s been Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Virgil van Dijk and Andrew Robertson in a flat back four, so why change it?
Gomez is adept at playing on the right as well as in the middle, but it’s clear that his best position is centre back. Alexander-Arnold, meanwhile, is arguably the finest young right back in world football. It makes no sense to drop him in big games.
The entire Reds defence struggled against PSG’s ferocious attack in mid-week, but Gomez and Lovren were two of the biggest culprits in the defeat.
Gomez was run ragged by Neymar and was too slow to react on PSG’s opening goal, whereas Lovren was out of position for the second and looked uncomfortable throughout.
This isn’t to say that starting Alexander-Arnold would have changed the scoreline, but it would have seen the Reds come into the game with more continuity at the back. That’s important when you’re facing an attack as accomplished as PSG’s.
Going forward, the 20-year-old’s pace and crossing ability was also much missed against Thomas Tuchel’s side. He gives the Reds an added dimension on the right hand side that’s just not there when Gomez operates in the position.
Quite frankly the former Charlton Athletic man should only play on the right if Alexander-Arnold is injured, there’s no reason for him to be moved from the centre otherwise.
Wednesday’s defeat has made it clear that Klopp’s continued tinkering with the back four is massively misguided. He has a solid unit in place there, he needs to stop messing with it.
