09 December 2023 , 15:39
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Graeme Souness has hailed Trent Alexander-Arnold's passing ability, but believes the Liverpool star's new midfield role will be a "problem" against top teams.
Alexander-Arnold has struggled to get into the England side due to a dearth of options at right-back, but manager Gareth Southgate has started playing him in midfield ahead of next year's Euros and Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has followed suit.
The 25-year-old started at right-back in the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday, but moved into midfield at half-time when Joe Gomez replaced Wataru Endo which allowed him to contribute more effectively going forward.
However, despite comparing him to Steven Gerrard, Reds legend Souness believes Alexander-Arnold could struggle in the role when he comes up against better opposition because he "is not always able to anticipate the threat and respond to it in time".
In a column for the Daily Mail, Souness wrote: "The last few weeks have confirmed what we have known for a long time: that in Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool have the best striker of a ball within these shores. I see in Trent the quality that Steven Gerrard always had when it came to the delivery of the ball.
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"An ability which is also up there with what David Beckham had. Trent is on another level in today's game — not just with that unerring accuracy when delivering from distance, but with his short passing, which is excellent.
"When you are up against a level of ability like that, sides will be worried and alarm bells will ring for managers. Steven had such a metronomic ability to deliver any ball he collected deep within his own defence.
Graeme Souness has expressed concerns about Trent Alexander-Arnold playing in midfield for Liverpool against top teams (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)"When he went deep to get the ball from his back-four, my instructions were for my own back-four to drop, as it was not a simple pass he was going to attempt. Also, when Steven was within shooting distance, you had to get in as quickly as possible to stop him getting a shot off.
"Like Steven, Trent can strike the ball any way he chooses — from a fade, to a draw, to sheer power. His defensive skills are not at that same level. Even at right back — a position from which you can often see every other player on the pitch, except your goalkeeper, and have more time to sense danger — he is not always able to anticipate the threat and respond to it in time.
"Against the weaker teams, when Liverpool are dominating the ball, that new midfield role will be perfect for Trent. But against the better teams, I feel there may be a problem for him and his team. In that central part of the pitch, everything is happening faster than anywhere else and your thought processes need to be that much quicker."