Tony Cascarino has questioned Trent Alexander-Arnold’s defensive ability, suggesting that he could be the weak link in Liverpool’s side against Chelsea.
The £50,000-a-week defender [Spotrac] has become a valued member of the Reds’ squad under Jurgen Klopp, but talkSPORT pundit Cascarino has siggesed that he is flawed.
Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: “Alexander-Arnold, if he does have weakness in his game, it’s his defensive ability.
“Going forward, he’s a fantastic crosser of the ball, he’s always an option out wide, but you can get on the back of him. When Eden Hazard gets in tight positions and he can take people on, he can make professional footballers look silly.”
"Alexander-Arnold, if he has got a weakness in his game, it's his defending ability."
"Eden Hazard can make professional footballers look silly."
@TonyCascarino62 think Eden Hazard will play a big part this afternoon ? pic.twitter.com/C1ip1KsnIM
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) April 14, 2019
OPINION
This seems a little bit harsh from Cascarino, but the reality of the situation, as unsavoury as it may be, is that Trent still has a lot of learning to do. There is no doubt that he has the potential to be one of, if not the, most exciting English defensive talent of generation, but he is far from perfect, and you can’t hep worrying that, with the title race as tight as it is, Liverpool need perfect. That being said, Alexander-Arnold is no novice. This is a full international who has played at the highest level of the professional game already, and he is so good that it is easy, at times, to forget that he is as young as he is. He isn’t infallible, but he’s better than some people give him credit for, and he is improving all the time. You just hope for his sake that nothing terrible besets him at such a crucial point of the season.
