At 67 minutes into the game, Trent Alexander-Arnold was spotted twisting and moving up the pitch on the Red’s right side, a position he held for most of the day as the game swayed back and forth like a listing ship on a spring tide at the windy Etihad Stadium.
A City player’s foot finally hacked away at his crucifix, ending his suffering. Raheem Sterling was sent racing upfield by a pinpoint ball from Kevin De Bruyne.
As two red shirts closed in on him, Sterling slowed to a standstill after running the length of Liverpool’s right wing, then twisted and paused once again. Alexander-Arnold was one of them, trudging up the beach with a surfboard under one arm and loping back with his same dogged pace.
Alexander-Arnold doubled down, clutching his knees, his chest heaving as the ball slipped out of play, signalling the conclusion of another exciting round in his own high-stakes game of chance.
The Liverpool v Man City Affair Ended In A Draw
Liverpool’s right-sided defensive playmaker scored one goal, almost scored many more, passed the ball with incredible elan, and at times resembled an open wound on the right after being singled out by Pep Guardiola’s well-executed strategy.
There will be a thorough review of the whole Alexander-Arnold process. Dark mutterings about his defence have grown commonplace, as if Jürgen Klopp’s tactical ignorance and blindness were exposed by the fact that he even lets this monster, this defensive refusenik play.
The internet claims that AlexanderArnold cannot defend, and not only that, but that his defence is an uproar and a social poison. When you get to the centre, you’ll find the truth—and a lot more to think about. If you had an issue like Trent, what would you do? To this, a shrug or blank expression is the typical response. Specifically, what issue are we trying to solve?
Maybe a Liverpool squad where the right back just sits, covers, and blocks the space is more realistic to picture. This is because the present one, that era-making Klopp machine, is remarkably constructed around the correct combination of risk and innovation. Everything was on display in this match, which was a delightfully open and imperfect display of top club football that appeared to revolve around Liverpool’s right-back.
