‘Suits him really well’ – Liverpool to stick with Trent Alexander-Arnold experiment as Jurgen Klopp talks up hybrid role

Jurgen Klopp will continue to deploy Trent Alexander-Arnold in a hybrid right-back and midfield role, saying the new position “suits him really well”.

Full-back allowed to drift into midfield
Impressed in victory over Leeds
Creativity put to better use

WHAT HAPPENED? The Liverpool full-back has faced questions throughout his senior career of whether he is strong enough defensively to be a long-term option for a club of the Reds’ ambition in a position that requires him to keep the back door bolted. Many have suggested that the England international will be moved up the field eventually, with Klopp seemingly finding a way of blurring those lines as he takes inspiration from the system that Pep Guardiola has been favouring at Manchester City – with creative defenders allowed to push up into the middle of the park once possession is secured.

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WHAT THEY SAID: Klopp has said when asked if he intends to keep Alexander-Arnold in that role after seeing him impress in a 6-1 demolition of Leeds: “We will see that. In each position he played, Trent is a super important player for us. This advanced role suits him really well. It's good. It's a challenge for other players to cover the spaces when we lose the ball. In each position he is super important. Slightly advanced role suits him, did really well. A challenge for everyone else to cover the spaces but with him there we don't lose many balls. It's not written in stone, he can play different ways.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Liverpool are prepared to get creative in their team selections as Klopp is still searching for the consistency from a star-studded squad that allowed them to land two major trophies last season while taking in every game available to them.

IN TWO PHOTOS:

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Getty Images

WHAT NEXT? Alexander-Arnold and Co. will be back in action on Saturday when Liverpool play host to relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest, with the Merseyside giants – who sit eighth in the table at present - looking to edge themselves closer to the Premier League’s top four.