Whether you're playing Football Manager or just supporting your favourite team, you'll have a good idea of what you want from your right-back.
The bread-and-butter of a defender is somebody who can keep clean sheets, but that's not the whole story. In today's game, you need a right-back who can make an impact at both ends of the field at an incredibly high level, and you need somebody with the physical fitness to keep him in the side consistently.
There are only a select few who can meet that criteria, but how many of those are so good that they can be one of their team's most important players en route to winning their first league title in 30 years?
In the quarter-final of the 2018/19 tournament - almost one year exactly since his first European game as the undisputed starter - Alexander-Arnold raised his game. He bagged assists in both legs against Porto, but nobody could predict what he would do in the semi-final.
After being dropped for the first leg, in which his absence was sorely felt as Liverpool fell 3-0 to Barcelona, Alexander-Arnold erupted. He wasn't going to see this chance pass him by again, and he produced one of the most memorable moments of magic in Champions League history. The legend of CORNER TAKEN QUICKLY ORIGIII will be passed down through generations, and deservedly so.
As manager Jurgen Klopp put it: "Oh my God - genius". There was - and is - no other way to describe it.
You'd think teams would have found out a way to neutralise his crossing at this point. Surely defenders could just drop off and eliminate the space behind them? How about pressing Alexander-Arnold and limiting his time on the ball?
You can't. You can't throw all your eggs in the try-and-stop-him basket because there's a Glaswegian version of him on the other side of the pitch waiting to capitalise on that. Andy Robertson brings the same sort of vision and movement, and the pair have built one of the most mesmeric on-field relationships we have ever seen from full-backs.
Their professional rivalry has sparked the most fascinating assist battle, and it's usually been Alexander-Arnold who comes out on top. Not only does he have a habit of stealing the show, but the right-back often commands the place in the history books.
Searching 'Trent Alexander-Arnold Record' on Google will bring up countless examples of his brilliance, notably:
- Becoming the youngest player in Premier League history to bag a hat-trick of assists in February 2019.
- Breaking the record for most assists by a defender during 2018/19 with 12.
- Becoming the youngest player to start consecutive Champions League finals.
- Breaking that aforementioned assist record by creating 13 goals during 2019/20
The best RB's in world football, but only five will make it on to our world class list. Who should it be?
— 90min (@90min_Football) December 8, 2020
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The scariest thing is that Alexander-Arnold is still a junior in football terms. Some players have just a handful of appearances to their name when they hit 22, but Alexander-Arnold isn't just 'some player'.
“Trent Alexander-Arnold has a unique personality," Brazil great Cafu told Qatar’s Road to 2022 . “He's not afraid to be aggressive. He pressure, dribbles, plays, scores, he developed this personality really early and that will help him become a standout player in the Premier League.
“I think he needs to keep everything good that he has, like his physical condition and his pass and perfect the cross a bit more. In the future, he'll be one of the best right-backs ever in England and the world."
To be classed as one of the best right-backs of all time is a different kettle of fish, but there's no denying that Alexander-Arnold is on that path. After all, who else can match his success and consistency at such a young age?
When it comes to right-backs, the answer is nobody.
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Source : 90min