England picked up their 3rd win of the Nations League campaign with a 3-1 triumph over Finland at the Helsinski Olympic Stadium on Sunday evening.
Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold was handed a surprise start at left-back by manager Lee Carsley. He made his mark in the game, scoring England’s 2nd goal with a fine free-kick.
He was handed England’s player of the match for the 3rd occasion in four outings, but Daily Mail were not entirely impressed by him. They highlighted his weakness on the defensive side.
They wrote in their Player Ratings: “Good going forward, not so good going back. That’s Trent. Wonderful free-kick goal but he’s not a left back.”
Correct
There is no doubting the attacking quality of Alexander-Arnold. The Liverpool graduate showed his class with his free-kick, but his defensive frailties were also on display against Finland.
As per Sofascore, the 26-year-old ace lost possession on a staggering 19 occasions in 90 minutes. This is something which could hamper his chances of securing a regular starting berth.
Alexander-Arnold has looked fantastic against the likes of Ireland, Finland & Greece, but the big question mark is whether he can deliver a similar performance against bigger opposition.
Former England boss Gareth Southgate experimented with him in midfield during the European Championship, but he quickly ditched the idea after just two games into the campaign.
United legend Roy Keane highlighted that Alexander-Arnold will be punished against the big teams due to how bad his defending is and the onus is on the Liverpool star to prove him wrong.
Alexander-Arnold will now return to Liverpool duty and he could have a big challenge on his hands when Chelsea make the trip to Anfield for Sunday’s much-awaited Premier League game.
Chelsea’s attack has been in superb form in the early weeks just like Liverpool and Alexander-Arnold could be targeted, knowing that he is not at his best when defending out of possession.
