Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp has nothing to lose by tweaking Trent Alexander-Arnold’s role

The first weekend of October 2015 and much talk in Liverpool centered on the performance of a starting midfielder in an Academy match.

Liverpool Under-18s had made the short trip to Manchester United and there was a lot of focus on the teams; for example, the hosts had a striker named Marcus Rashford who had high hopes of being able to flourish at a higher level.

But the visitors also had promises in their ranks, especially from a 16-year-old who was on the rise. How Trent Alexander-Arnold showed it that Saturday morning at Carrington, scoring twice and making his mark throughout the game as Liverpool won 4-0.

A day later, of course, the agenda around the club changed. Brendan Rodgers was sacked, Jurgen Klopp lined up to replace him and, as a result, discussion outside Melwood, Liverpool’s old headquarters, was turned away from what this blossoming newcomer could become.

However, Klopp was immediately alerted to Alexander-Arnold’s potential and the first Liverpool team he saw in action was the Under-18s, who beat Stoke 1-0 at the Kirkby Academy. Alexander-Arnold again played a prominent role.

The Reds played great football and Alexander-Arnold contributed with two sublime assists

So what Klopp saw the now 24-year-old do at Elland Road on Monday will have come as no surprise; when he had the chance to drift in at right back – as was the case against Arsenal eight days earlier – he turned in his best performance of the season.

The numbers backed this up: 153 contacts, 136 passes (of which 91.2 percent were successful) and two assists, one of which made Darwin Nunez smile as if he had received a Christmas present. At the final whistle, Luis Diaz wrapped Alexander-Arnold in a hug and he left the field beaming.

“He also won the ball back for the first goal,” added Klopp. “Really impressive – the highlight was the last pass, but he had a few more. Yes, wherever Trent is, he can be decisive in his passing. This was a good game. You can see he enjoyed it.’

All this made you think about what the future might hold. This, to be clear, is not an analysis of where Alexander-Arnold has fallen short this campaign. He’s fought for consistency, but making him a scapegoat for everything that went wrong would be both ridiculous and extremely unfair.

No. This is a look at the avenues that could open up for Alexander-Arnold in the future and what this in turn could mean for Liverpool as Klopp looks to revitalize his squad. By placing his no. 66 more central and more advanced, all kinds of possibilities can arise.

Put it this way, if Pep Guardiola can turn John Stones into a midfield conductor, why can’t Klopp do the same with Alexander-Arnold? This process would be much easier in some ways as he already has that foundation he laid as a teenager to build on.

“Trent is a better passer of the ball than John Stones,” Jamie Carragher argued on Monday Night Football. “Stones has great composure, but when it comes to defensive passing, there’s only Kevin de Bruyne better than Trent in the Premier League.”

Again, the numbers support the words. That amazing pass to Nunez was Alexander-Arnold’s 50th assist in the Premier League; it’s a staggering number and the reason Jordan Henderson considers his talent to be on the “Galactico” level.

Jurgen Klopp has nothing to lose and everything to gain by adapting the role of the defender

If John Stones (left) can be a midfield conductor for Manchester City, then Alexander-Arnold (right) can certainly do it for Liverpool

“We must not forget that he is a complete player with many assets and capabilities, both offensively and defensively,” said Ibrahima Konate, whose job is to cross the line when Alexander-Arnold goes on the hunt. “He won’t forget his defensive duties, because I can’t cover him all the time – I’m only human!”

Maybe Klopp can really experiment in the summer. Calvin Ramsey, who took over Liverpool from Aberdeen to support Alexander-Arnold, will be fit after an unhappy 12 months and his manager is keen to give him a chance.

Then why not see if another string can be added to his bow? It is often forgotten that Steven Gerrard was ingrained into the Liverpool team as a right back and we have all seen what he became later in his career as he matured and stepped forward.

There is nothing to lose here and everything to gain. No one would have any qualms asking Alexander-Arnold to continue as Liverpool’s right-back, but an even higher plain could await. The signs have been there all along.