Arne Slot says Trent Alexander-Arnold has always been a good defender but backed him to get better if he can improve on his concentration.
The right-back has said he welcomes Slot s criticism, claiming he wants the Dutchman s help to become the defender that no one wants to come up against in Europe .
Alexander-Arnold more often draws plaudits for his attacking play, and in Liverpool s latest win, he reached 100 goal involvements (19 goals, 81 assists), setting up Luis Diaz s second in their 3-0 win over Bournemouth.
Slot acknowledged how important Alexander-Arnold s impact going forward is, and that he is more than happy to help his defensive side.
Yeah, it s difficult for me to judge how it has been in years before we are talking here about a player that won the Champions League and a league title, Slot said.
He mentioned himself that winning a league is about defending. It s clear to me then that he s been a good defender all his life.
But because he s so so special with the ball, the main emphasis goes to him doing special things with the ball. With him, it s not about if he s capable of doing things, it s his concentration rate and being 100% focused.
This is what we talk about a lot, that he always has to be active in every situation of the game, even if the ball is far away from him. It s not that he s learned how to defend in the last three months; he s won the league and the Champions League!
100 With today s assist for Luis Díaz, Trent Alexander-Arnold has now been directly involved in 100 goals as a Liverpool player (19 goals, 81 assists). Visionary.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe)
It s just getting him to understand what is necessary for him to play the best possible game and that s what we talk about with all the individuals but also with him.
The defensive work put in by Alexander-Arnold is already starting to show, as he has made the third-most interceptions (31) out of his team-mates, and won possession on 176 occasions, with only Alexis Mac Allister (195) bettering that in the Premier League so far this season.
The 25-year-old has described his new manager s approach as refreshing after his bright start to life on Merseyside.
When asked how he felt about Alexander-Arnold s comments, Slot said: I think we all remember the day that Jurgen [Klopp] left and what that man meant to him [Trent Alexander-Arnold].
So, you can assume how good of a relationship the two of them had, so to hear him say this about his new manager is always nice. It s not always easy to come in and replace a manager like him.
But it s the same with Trent as it is with the others. They are getting a lot of individual attention to make them better, because if they get better, then the team does as well.
