Liverpool boss Slot defends under-fire Alexander-Arnold after Man United draw | OneFootball

Arne Slot has defended Trent Alexander-Arnold following criticism of the Liverpool’s defender’s performance against Manchester United.

Alexander-Arnold endured a torrid afternoon as Liverpool dropped points in the title race after a 2-2 draw at Anfield.

The right-back was exposed defensively by Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes, winning none of his five defensive duels. He also ended the contest having lost possession on 25 occasions, with Alexander-Arnold’s usually excellent distribution inaccurate.

Alexander-Arnold’s performance comes amid speculation surrounding his future. The 26-year-old is out of contract at the end of the campaign and is a target for Real Madrid. Liverpool have rejected an approach from the Spanish side to sign Alexander-Arnold this month. He is currently free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with the European champions for the summer.

Slot was asked about Alexander-Arnold’s performance and whether the defender was in the right mindframe given the uncertainty surrounding his future. The Liverpool boss defended the player and said Alexander-Arnold needed more support from his teammates in defensive situations.

“Trent has played mostly very good games for the club. Today was not his best game but that had to do with them as well,” he told Sky Sports.

“Sometimes Ryan [Gravenberch] was not close enough to him so it was a two-on-one situation. I would put it more on the quality of [Diogo] Dalot and Bruno Fernandes.”

Slot reflected on the result, as Liverpool missed the chance to capitalise on dropped points for Arsenal and Chelsea in the title race. The Reds are now six points clear of second-placed Arsenal, with a game in hand.

“We started really well, had three open chances in the game and then there was a period of time which was more difficult for us,” Slot said to BBC Radio 5 Live.

“It is difficult if you play quality players that are playing in a low block with only [Rasmus] Hojlund and [Amad] Diallo as attackers.

“It’s not always easy to find the gaps and that’s what happened. Then being 1-0 down makes it even more difficult but I was very happy with the mentality we showed afterwards going 2-1 up.”

Read – Van Dijk denies that Liverpool underestimated Man United after Anfield draw

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