OPINION
More often than not, Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold is a player who performs with a maturity far beyond his 20 years.
It is easy to forget how young the defender is, especially as he is now a fully fledged England international. However, there can be times when he can slip up and show his inexperience.
One of those times was no doubt in the 3-1 win over Southampton on Friday. The scoreline flattered the overall performance of the team, but it is safe to say that the young ace was definitely amongst the group who were not at the races that evening.
Many fans will recall that he produced a fine cross for Naby Keita to head in the equaliser, but apart from that, his defensive fragility really showed. He was exposed on the right time and time again against what was a very direct Saints side.
He was rather needless in possession, something which is very unlike him. Whether the pressure of winning got too much for him remains to be seen, but it certainly was not his day on Friday.
That was why Jurgen Klopp was wise to bring on James Milner in his place in the second half. The impact he made was instant, and he really steadied things up defensively on the right.
This means it makes complete sense for the manager to start the mainstay – who has 36 appearances this season – against Porto in their first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday.
That does not mean that Klopp should axe Alexander-Arnold though, but with Milner playing in front of him, he will not be as exposed as he was against Southampton. Put it this way, he would get found out a lot more playing Porto than playing a team at the back end of the Premier League.
Klopp must unleash Milner fully on Tuesday, as he is the only solution to this problem.
