Paul Gorst has been speaking on a recent Blood Red podcast, where he stood up for Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold and his defensive abilities.
The 22-year-old has come under scrutiny for his below-par performances this season and was recently left out of Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad.
Despite being on the receiving end of some criticism, Alexander Arnold has still managed to record a very respectable 6.90 WhoScored rating, and several pundits have jumped to the youngster’s defence.
One of those who is clearly a fan of the marauding right-back is Gorst, who claimed the criticism of the defender is unwarranted.
He said: (6:57) “I hear it all the time about Trent Alexander-Arnold, and to be fair it’s not Liverpool fans who say it, it just gets thrown about, you know, so flippantly, and so nonchalantly without much thought given to it, it’s just, ‘Oh, he can’t defend.’
“Now, this is a player who has been part of the best back four in the Premier League for the last two seasons, the Liverpool team who have conceded the least goals. So, by virtue of that being they are the best back four and best back five, and he’s also playing in a role that means that he’s asked to go forward as much as possible.
“He’s had 12 assists, and then 13 assists in that run. A Premier League record for 12 and then he goes and breaks it with 13, is the PFA Young play of the Year in that time as well. So, he’s an absolute superstar of a player, and all this was before he turned 22, which was only October, and then his performance on Saturday. He can defend, he can defend very, very well when he has to.”
TIF Thoughts on Alexander-Arnold…
Liverpool have had an extremely disappointing campaign, and it’s not just Alexander-Arnold who has suffered from a drop-off in form.
Many of the Reds key men have dipped below their usual high standards in 2020/21, and the singling out of the England international has arguably been unfair at times.
Having already won the Champions League and Premier League at just 22, Alexander-Arnold has had a fabulous start to his career and, therefore, deserves some time to turn his poor form around.
In other news: ‘From what I’ve been told’ – James Pearce shares details on Liverpool’s transfer finances