It’s now over six months now since a tactical change increased the demands significantly on Liverpool’s right-backs.
Without a win in five games, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Lijnders devised a gameplan to pack additional creativity into the team by getting Trent Alexander-Arnold into more central areas, further up the field. Rather than installing the Academy graduate into a fixed midfield spot, though, a compromise was reached.
It was a strategy that paid off handsomely as Alexander-Arnold began to cause all manner of problems for an Arsenal outfit that were a missed Mohamed Salah penalty away from a 12th defeat in 20 by the Reds on Klopp’s watch. The No.66 supplied a late assist for Roberto Firmino with a pinpoint cross after nutmegging his way past Oleksandr Zinchenko on Easter Sunday.
If the mid-game adjustment for Alexander-Arnold was very much a roll of the dice from Klopp, the 6-1 drubbing of Leeds in the subsequent game felt a lot more calculated as the England international ran riot, providing assists for Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez. Having claimed just three before the April tweak, Alexander-Arnold ended a difficult campaign on the whole for Liverpool with 10 in total, giving weight to those who supported the move.
While there are obvious areas to target when a right-back moves some distance away from his defensive post, the Liverpool blueprint has been dreamed up to exert more control over games, meaning exploitative transitions from the opposition are kept to a minimum. The back four shifts into a wide three-man setup when the right-sided full-back ventures further up the field. At its essence, it is about allowing Alexander-Arnold the chance to provide big goalscoring opportunities.
The system has not come without its teething problems and plenty of work has gone into making it as seamless as possible, particularly during the pre-season training sessions. It is understood Alexander-Arnold also sat down with Klopp and Lijnders earlier this year to analyse clips of his games and establish exactly what was required.
One particular man-marking job at home against Nottingham Forest last season was carried out well by the visitors and led to internal questions at Liverpool about how to properly adapt to the position, while the high pressing from Bournemouth in the 3-1 win at Anfield in August was eventually sorted by Alexander-Arnold moving to a more traditional right-back slot after being caught out a handful of times that included the Cherries early opener.
The defender’s in-game intelligence to simply revert to the traditional right-back berth eventually led to the equalising goal when his pass ended with Diogo Jota supplying Luis Diaz. These are the tactical nuances Liverpool’s players are being asked to wrestle with presently and at the sharp end of the game, it is a steep learning curve.
But while the task of dropping into midfield to dictate play is a relatively new and exciting one for a player who has been the creative fulcrum of this Liverpool squad for much of the past five years, it doesn’t come without its hazards with the recently-turned 25-year-old Alexander-Arnold now essentially being asked to play two positions in the same game. It is a tactical plan that is not solely reserved for him, either.
“It’s been good, something different for me,” says Conor Bradley. “I’m not used to it and at Bolton I was playing wing-back – basically like a right-winger – but I am enjoying it. Obviously I’m taking a bit of stuff off the coaches and off Trent himself about how to play the role and the whole way up until the age of 16 I was a central midfielder. I played as a No.10, so I was in central areas but when I came here to Liverpool I was moved to right-back.”
The issue for Liverpool is the unique player they have on their hands in Alexander-Arnold. There are few others in the squad capable of being as inventive in possession. It does not always look the most free-flowing or natural when centre-back-by-trade Joe Gomez is being asked to do similar, for example.
It is, though, something Liverpool are now keen to implement at all age groups. It has already been a noticeable feature of games involving the club’s Under-18 and 21s teams this term. Cleary, the decision to move the full-backs into the centre of pitch has been taken with the long-term view.
With Bradley sidelined with a back injury and Calvin Ramsay out on loan with Preston North End, the lack of a natural deputy for Alexander-Arnold is glaring, even more so now versatile veteran James Milner has left the club. As a result, Klopp has also utilised the midfield talents of Stefan Bajcetic and Curtis Jones in the position against LASK in the Europa League and Leicester City in the Carabao Cup, respectively. Given the demands of it all, it is no surprise that neither player performed with particular distinction in their maiden outings at full-back.
The use of both Bajcetic and Jones there, though, does suggest it is something Liverpool are sticking to for the foreseeable, even in the absence of Alexander-Arnold. It is also an indication from Klopp that the technical surety of a more traditional midfielder is being prized over defensive nous in the list of skills needed to excel in the role.
Ibrahima Konate has previously spoken about the extra strain the system places on the right-sided centre-back, admitting it is a change that has left him feeling drained after games due to the covering of spaces left by the vacating Alexander-Arnold. “It’s true that I have a lot more work to do which means I’m more tired after a game now!” he told Sky Sports earlier this year.
Ultimately, the success of it all is determined by communication, says Bradley, who was being primed as Alexander-Arnold’s understudy prior to his untimely stress fracture. “The decision making is difficult,” he admits. “I’ve got to learn to know when I can go [into midfield] and when I can’t because I’ve got to have the right cover behind me. It’s difficult but we’ve just got to speak to each other and work out when Trent or maybe myself moves forward and when we don’t.
“I think the key is speaking to each other and seeing what’s best for the team in each moment. The right-sided centre-half has got a lot to do! There is quite a lot of covering to do in this system, which is difficult but the manager wants the players behind the right-back to be able to cover you and help you out. So it’s a difficult position in this formation but like I say speaking to each other and stuff like that is the important thing.”
The Reds’ right-backs are averaging 86 touches per game across Premier League and Europa League action this term although Alexander-Arnold’s xA (Expected Assists) is considerably down on the 0.40 of last season. The figure of just 0.19 can possibly be explained by a month-long absence with a hamstring issue and a prolonged run in the team now will surely see those statistics rise. As a player of such importance, it is integral Liverpool find a way to get their vice captain into his stride once more, starting with Everton in the Merseyside derby this weekend.
The early-season evidence is that it is here to stay and was not just a way to overcome an alarming Spring slump. But should it now form a legitimate topic of tactical conversation behind the scenes at the AXA Training Centre?
With just one assist from right-back this season in 11 matches – which came from Alexander-Arnold’s corner for Dominik Szobosozai against Aston Villa – there perhaps is at least a question to be asked about the long-term suitability of the new-look system. If the current incumbent’s natural abilities are conducive to it, the same cannot be said of the options elsewhere at present.
Even if there is more to it than simply the weight of numbers in the ‘assists’ column, it is at least maybe something for Klopp and Lijnders to quietly ponder going forward.
