Not at all, there have been many play making full backs throughout the history of football.
Trent Alexander Arnold
- Thread starter Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber
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A million quid says they'd swap it for a double or a treble.
You can’t really judge a young player due to a blip in his form. Especially not when he suffered from a respiratory disease this year. It also derailed Pogba’s season for months and he’s only now getting into full fitness. Far too premature to write TAA off.
But we can hope.
they would swap it for any other year with far less points, so it wasn’t an asterisk title.
Ever since he came back from injury he's been dreadful, in both ends of the pitch. It's a blib I'm sure, but he should not be starting the way he's playing. Probably the worst form he's been in since he came into the first team.
Alves was good but there are 1 or 2 like him every generation.
I think he’s a great talent but feck me, are we just pretending the likes of Dani Alves didn’t exist?
How many RB's have you seen so dynamic, but the crossing ability of Beckham/KDB and can hit a dead ball just like them and a scoring/assist ratio of a winger?
Other that TAA i can't think of 1, hence "revolutionising that position just like Carlos did at LB" there's been no LB before or after as unique as R.Carlos (and he was criticized for his defending at times), his whole style was distinctive just as TAA's is and having just turned 22 and already played 2 Champions League finals (winning 1) and playing a huge part in that, he's already created a legacy and with that in my opinion the most exciting English talent currently and i agree with Cafu, Ballon d'Or potential.
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Seems really low in confidence, the free kick in the final minute summed him up.
Proper shite again today going forward. He’s never been an all guns blazing right back but his delivery now is wank. Either plays it too short or too long and too early a lot of the time.
Thought he was ok but Martial showed him up a couple of times in the first half. Second half all of United’s attacking threat seemed to come on his side.
Young player going through a dip in form.
Young player going through a dip in form.
Poor defending, poor crossing. He's obviously a lot better than this normally but at the same time Shaw and AWB never play that bad and still get loads of negativity.
He's really not a defender.
I thought AWB could barely play a pass forward in that game. Looked like you were bypassing him at time’s. Shaw has an excellent game.
He can defend though. And he’s provided fair few assists. Club should be looking to improve upon him but a good right winger may do the trick as well.
He played a good sideways pass to Pogba...
Trent is badly out of form but AWB has put in some absolute stinkers for us a number of times. Shaw is much more consistent.
Brazilian full backs have been doing what TAA has done even before Klopp was a pro footballer.
Dani Alves is a guy who has won player of the tournament awards in club and country from right back position. So respect the guy, you don't get a player of his level every generation.
The only thing "revolutionary" was Klopp's tactics which relied on creativity from fullbacks, which was not seen regularly in English football, apart from Baines in Everton, who was like playmaking full back for a period. But that isn't something new to football itself.
TAA is outstanding at what he does, and is young, and will continue to improve bar something unfortunate, but let us not make it like he is so unique that nobody can match him, when he doesn't have to look anywhere but in the left flank of his team.
What you are basically saying is that he's 'revolutionising the position' just because he's unique, without actually taking in to account his overall ability to play the position.
Yes he can hit a great dead-ball, cross and pin 50 yard cross-field passes. He also has ZERO positional awareness defensively and can't be trusted to hold on to the ball.
Saying he has Ballon D'or potential is like saying Lee Trundle was world class just because he could do incredible things with a football. There's a lot more to the game than pure technical ability - TAA has that in abundance which nobody is arguing, but he mental aspect of his game isn't good enough - certainly not a patch on somebody like Alves who was 10x the player.
In your defence I've seen worse posts, I guess.
This compilation is no where near comprehensive in show casing how good Alves was. There are not 1-2 like him every generation. And TAA does not come close.
Has the whiff of Delle Alli about him, in the sense he's clearly talented but been overhyped way way past his level and has subsequently started believing his own hype. Klopp would do well to get him to forget about the Hollywood passing, and whipped crosses to the left corner flag and ask him to do the basics of defending and getting that down to a tee, before trying to get assists and goals and what have you.
For all of the flack AWB gets, I'd take him ahead of this guy everyday of the week. The thing with AWB is he's absolute quality defending one on one and has (this season) begun adding to his attacking output.
For all of the flack AWB gets, I'd take him ahead of this guy everyday of the week. The thing with AWB is he's absolute quality defending one on one and has (this season) begun adding to his attacking output.
The main issue with AWB is that we've had a dysfunctional right wing for eons now. He will never be a flamboyant attacking full back, that's not what I'm saying, but the systemic issue we have is highlighting his own deficiencies more than they would if we had a functional right flank. He actually has improved his attacking play and has contributed with a few assists, and is learning more and more how to take on his man (with basic technique, in fairness, just a touch and a burst of pace to give him some space to cross). He'll do better once we have a proper right winger and the space in that area of the field is better utilised. His defensive qualities are astounding though, and he's very consistent. I also think his style of play balances well with Shaw's, who is showing more and more regularly how good a player he really is. Super important in our build-up play, and has a great balance in defensive and attacking qualities.
Yeah it's easy posting laughing emoji faces in my direction how he's playing now. But 3 years previous he's been fantastic and was a large part in how Liverpool played and achieved what they did and he's still young enough to get back to that level, trying to judge TAA this season would be laughing Usain Bolt trying to run with a sprained ankle and judging him harshly for it if his times are not what they are when 100% fit, TAA has had injuries this season and Liverpool are missing their 2 main CB's, they played 2 midfielders at CB's against United in the league for example and playing at least 1 midfielder there every game since VVD and Gomes injuries, what do you expect? None of Liverpool's players are playing at the levels of previous seasons, not even Salah/Mane are they overrated too?
What you are basically saying is that he's 'revolutionising the position' just because he's unique, without actually taking in to account his overall ability to play the position.
Yes he can hit a great dead-ball, cross and pin 50 yard cross-field passes. He also has ZERO positional awareness defensively and can't be trusted to hold on to the ball.
Saying he has Ballon D'or potential is like saying Lee Trundle was world class just because he could do incredible things with a football. There's a lot more to the game than pure technical ability - TAA has that in abundance which nobody is arguing, but he mental aspect of his game isn't good enough - certainly not a patch on somebody like Alves who was 10x the player.
The guy was 21 at the start of the season, some players are still playing in the academy football at that age, very few are one of the main reasons to your side winning a Premier League and reaching 2 Champions League finals, so at 22 years of age, what he's achieved so far as been fantastic and he is Ballon d'Or potential if performances previous seasons are anything to go by and I'm not the only one saying that or calling him the most talented young English player out of a massive talent pool England are currently producing.
Your point about Lee Trundle is ridiculous, one of the most ridiculous posts I've ever seen on a football forum and that is saying something.
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He’s getting mauled by Sterling tonight, but whisper it, because the pundits won’t mention it. 
An abysmal ‘defender’.
An abysmal ‘defender’.
Shocking defender and his little pass inside to Salah to rack up assists isn't even working these days.He’s getting mauled by Sterling tonight, but whisper it, because the pundits won’t mention it.
An abysmal ‘defender’.
He’s always struggled in one on ones with someone running at him. Thought he was pretty good in the first half going forward personally. Struggled every time Sterling ran at him.
Needs to work on his game defensively.
Needs to work on his game defensively.
Sterling rinsed him a few times today but one v one is not his strength. He's no AWB thats for sure, but he offers so much in other ways. Lads just needs a bit of confidence. People talk about Robertson being a better defender and in better form but Foden murdered him once Jesus came on. TAA just needs confidence.
So lucky Foden didn't play on his side. Would've had him on toast. Kid can't defend and without their big time center backs covering for him.
Confidence? He's been shite for a fair while now and has never been able to defend. I really don't think he's near as good as he's made out to be.
Do you not think he’s been the best in his position in the league (or one of the best) over the previous two seasons?
He’s never been great defensively but has been a huge part of our recentsuccess.
He’s not had a great season this year.
Yeah, that's cheat mode at RB.
Superb when the team are doing well, and have a world class centre back next to him.
Erm, not so superb otherwise.
Erm, not so superb otherwise.
You've answered your own point though. He's the best in a position that is set up to give him minimal defensive duties as a RB. There pretty much no team that's ever been set up like that prior to Klopps team.
He's extremely lucky to have been in an extremely successful system that masked his flaws and enhanced his strengths. He's an average right back in any normal set up.
He's very one dimensional in terms of his attacking play and has been figured out. The system that allowed him to flourish has been figured out. This has stifled his effectiveness.
He has weaknesses like any 22 yo. He had an incredible season and everything was completely overblown, to be honest everything about that Liverpool team was overblown.
There are a lot of RB's that are much more well rounded than him, like other have said, Klopp's system gave him a freedom that most RB's don't get.
There are a lot of RB's that are much more well rounded than him, like other have said, Klopp's system gave him a freedom that most RB's don't get.
TAA and Robertson desperately miss Henderson when he’s not playing as a CM. He’s excellent at bailing them out when they’re marauding upfield due to his positional awareness. Similarly for when VVD is playing as a CB. He’s terrible at all aspects of defending. Got turned far too easily today.
Was going to draft something myself but @Lash has done it fot me. Also, don't forget that there's a serious derth of good fullbacks in the league, so yeah, he was the best RB for a period of time but he had no real opposition.
The likes of Matt Doherty would look great there in a Klopp system. It's obvious to anyone that Klopp elevates players to play far better than they are, due to him being a great manager and developing a great system. Look how good he made players like Subotic and Sahin look at Dortmund and there's countless other examples. For me, there's top players and players that look like top players in a certain system. TAA certainly fells into the latter category, for me.
Exactly. The ease sterling went past him was alarming, Sterling didn't even drop the shoulder or anything, he just changed direction towards the goal - who could have foreseen that.
I think that he's quite clearly one of, if not the best, passing and crossing fullbacks in the world. But it's also clear that if those crosses aren't coming off he becomes a liability that has to be covered for consistency at the back.
So does that mean he is or isn't at the top of his position in the league? Honestly I don't know because I don't think a defender that can't defend well should be considered "the best". It's obvious that Klopp did a great job forming a system around him that shows his qualities and masks his deficiencies well. And he's not a Marcelo type that can act as a tricky winger with dribbling as well.
So in all, Trent feels like a product of a system more than just simply a great RB. I've always been interested in how he would operate in midfield though, where he's not as isolated against wingers and can concentrate more on his qualities going forward, because there are certainly some moments of genius from him
He'll still get his G/A's but with out Van Dijk in the back line he's getting exposed badly and it just shows how having such a dominant allround CB is for a team both defensively and offensively. Van Dijk cleans up both aerially in a deep block and in a high line defending space which makes life a lot easier for their fullbacks.
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He needs his “Big Virg” alongside him to cover his defensive weaknesses