Regardless of his current poor Liverpool kind and omission from England’s squad to face Germany, Gary Neville says he believes Trent Alexander-Arnold can grow to be “one of the best right-back the world has ever produced.”
In an in depth evaluation of Alexander-Arnold’s struggles for Liverpool this season, the previous Man United and England full-back honed in on the methods Liverpool’s no. 66 can enhance defensively.
Alongside Jamie Carragher, Neville supplied examples of how the 23-year-old has let himself down together with his physique positioning and work-rate in current weeks.
The Sky Sports activities pundit identified 4 “rules of full-back play” that he claims Alexander-Arnold ought to be engaged on with a view to enhance his recreation.
And Neville believes that ought to Alexander-Arnold iron out the “actually primary” defensive facets of his recreation, he may go on to grow to be one of the best right-back to have ever performed the sport.
“I believe these are actually staple items,” Neville mentioned on Sky Sports activities’ Monday Evening Soccer.
“The exhausting a part of the sport, he’s doing. No full-back that I’ve ever seen on this nation can do what he can do.
“If he can simply work on these 4 staple items and get these consistency components with these issues, we received’t simply have top-of-the-line attacking right-backs this nation has ever produced, we’ll in all probability have one of the best right-back the world has ever produced, as a result of this can be a Cafu, that is that stage of full-back, that is one thing unbelievably particular.”
How Trent can enhance
There are large questions as as to whether Alexander-Arnold can be included in England’s squad for the World Cup subsequent month.
And if the Liverpool right-back doesn’t go, Neville claims it may very well be a optimistic, to permit him time to enhance his defensive capabilities.
Going into extra element, Neville defined how Alexander-Arnold’s “upright” physique place has caught him out on just a few events this season.
“What you may’t have, whenever you’re defending in a 1v1 place within the final third of the pitch, you can’t be upright,” Neville defined.
“Trent finds himself in a really relaxed, upright place, and the issue with that’s you can’t dash from that place, you may’t change course, you may’t swivel your head rapidly.
“In opposition to Brighton, his physique form was closed for the primary aim. He was too slender. He wasn’t in the fitting place, he wasn’t alert and he panicked. He’s doing the exhausting a part of the sport, it’s the fundamentals the place he’s struggling.
“Trent has been distinctive for 4 or 5 years for Liverpool. Each full-back now must have each attacking and defensive strengths. His attacking statistics are completely ridiculous – one of many nice skills this nation as produced.”
No matter you consider Neville, this was soccer evaluation at its best. Constructive criticism, however nonetheless extraordinarily complimentary about Alexander-Arnold’s pure capacity.