Trent Alexander-Arnold mocked by his Real Madrid captain – what’s gone wrong? | OneFootball

Trent Alexander-Arnold probably didn’t have being mocked by his club captain in his mind when building up his visions of what his Real Madrid career would look like.

The right-back spent most of last season in a contract stand-off with Liverpool before it became clear he was definitely bound for Madrid. It was a bold move, but one he backed himself to succeed in. However, as the end of his debut season approaches, the jury is out on how he has fared in Spain.

Madrid were held to a draw by Real Betis on Friday and footage is circulating from the game that paints Alexander-Arnold in a bad light.

Even his fiercest defenders would struggle to say that he is a, well, fierce defender himself. Although he plays at right-back, Alexander-Arnold’s standout strengths have always been to do with his passing and crossing ability.

His critics have pointed to his sub-par defensive game – and it’s his off-the-ball efforts (or lack thereof) in the spotlight right now.

Out of position as Betis began a counter-attack, Alexander-Arnold was seen merely jogging back to defend.

The cameras panned to his captain (and positional rival) Dani Carvajal on the bench, making a walking gesture with his fingers.

Opinion is divided on the incident. Some have suggested Carvajal was wrong to effectively mock his teammate, especially while in a leadership position. Others insist Alexander-Arnold should be held to higher standards for the effort he needs to put in.

And it’s a valid point. Being accused of not reading the game well as a defender is one thing. Being accused of not working hard enough defensively is more serious.

Alexander-Arnold’s first year in Spain has been a steep learning curve. A couple of injuries have prevented it from going the way he’d have wanted, before even considering his output on the pitch.

For what it’s worth, he is still yet to score for Madrid but has provided four assists from 17 games in La Liga.

Head coach Alvaro Arbeloa – already Alexander-Arnold’s second boss in the Spanish capital after the mid-season sacking of Xabi Alonso – has recently backed the Englishman, insisting he has shown ‘some absolutely top-class form’.

But in the grander scheme of things, Arbeloa’s side are almost certain to finish second in the standings and have already seen their other routes to a trophy closed off, being knocked out in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey and the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Of course, it hasn’t exactly been better back at Liverpool this season either. But might the Alexander-Arnold move start being viewed as a mistake, either by the player himself or his new club?

Still under contract until 2031, and with a 34-year-old Carvajal coming up to the end of his contract, Madrid will need to mull over exactly what has gone wrong for Alexander-Arnold this season and how they can rectify the situation.

And it might be that people are reading too much into an out-of-context clip, but as we risk going all Roy Keane, starting with the fundamentals of showing a willingness to work hard would help.