Adrian Durham has slammed Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold for his defensive display in England’s 5-3 win over Kosovo on Tuesday evening.
The full-back was caught napping for the opposition’s second as he failed to track the run of eventual goalscorer Valon Berisha, and Durham pulled no punches in his verdict.
Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: “Trent Alexander-Arnold is just trotting back, he’s not even trotting, he’s walking back. That’s not right.
“This is the guy who was a big part of Liverpool coming back from three down against one of the best teams Europe’s ever seen last season.
“Watching him amble back, I mean, he wasn’t even smelling any danger. I was concerned about that.”
"One of the Kosovo goals last night…"
"Trent Alexander-Arnold is walking back, just expecting Henderson to do his job."
"He wasn't even smelling any danger."@talkSPORTDrive on TAA's role in one of the Kosovo goals.
Are you worried about him defensively? ? pic.twitter.com/qjxWEz7mgR
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) September 11, 2019
Is Durham justified in his comments?
You would have to say that in this particular case, he is bang on the money.
Alexander-Arnold has switched off completely, and his lapse in concentration has allowed the opposition in for a goal. For a defender, that is a cardinal sin.
You can argue that England were 5-1 up at the time and that it didn’t matter, but the fact is that at international level, you should be at your very, very best at all times.
The youngster will know that though, and it is important to remember that he is still learning the game.
Sure, this was an error, but you would hope he grows stronger because of it, and that it doesn’t happen again.
Slightly more worrying, however, will be the fact that this is an allegation that is raised against Alexander-Arnold a lot.
It feels as if nobody ever questions his attacking ability, and rightly so, but there is an increasing amount of scrutiny being put on the defensive side of his game.
But is that really fair?
Certainly, you could argue that his averages of 1.3 tackles, 1.3 clearances, 0.8 interception, and his habit of getting dribbled past on 1.3 occasions per game, as per Whoscored, leave a lot to be desired, but it is important to recognise that he plays in a Liverpool side that is so dominant that his opportunities to boost those defensive stats are often curtailed.
Moreover, he has yet to make an error leading directly to a goal in his Premier League career, as per the league themselves.
Moments like the one against Kosovo are far from ideal, and Alexander-Arnold will no doubt be furious with himself for allowing that mistake to happen, but in the grand scheme of things, he is still a fine young defender.
Maybe he has some things to learn and to tighten up, but if and when he can iron out those creases, he will be one of the best in the world.
Some would argue he already is at that level.