Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of Liverpool’s most potent attacking weapons – but one move reportedly could have risked one of the coaching staff’s wages if it had not come off.
The Reds finished last season in fifth place, meaning they have no Champions League football this campaign and must instead compete in the Europa League.
Alexander-Arnold’s position changed towards the closing stages of the 2022/23 campaign, as the Anfield side tried to finish in the top four in a close battle with Newcastle and fierce rivals Manchester United.
As part of that, the right-back was inverted at times from his traditional position and into central midfield.
It is something that Pep Guardiola has often done at Manchester City, and John Stones was successfully deployed at times in central midfield, rather than his typical defensive role, during the Etihad Stadium club’s historic treble-winning campaign.
And Pep Lijnders, Jurgen Klopp’s assistant at Liverpool, was so confident that the move to redeploy Alexander-Arnold would work that he offered to work for nothing for a whole 12 months if it did not prove beneficial.
That’s according to Liverpool.com, who claimed that, although the assistant manager wasn’t entirely serious with the offer, it was his idea to switch Alexander-Arnold’s role to great effect at the end of last season.
And fortunately for Lijnders, it was a success and he has outlined the advantages which the change brought.
Speaking the Training Ground Guru Podcast, Lijnders said: “The team became compact again with the ball. The team became together again and we were really balanced, we didn’t suffer counter-attacks how we suffered them before
“A little change can be enough for players to feel free and comfortable again.
“He (Alexander-Arnold) finds the forwards in a way that nobody else can find them, and he plays the passes the forwards like to receive.”
Topics: Liverpool, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Premier League, Jurgen Klopp
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