Trent Alexander-Arnold was back in the Real Madrid team at the end of a week that did not go to plan – and impressed in Saturday’s comeback win over Mallorca.
The former Liverpool right-back was dropped to the bench for last weekend’s win over Real Oviedo – and was then left out of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad on Friday.
But he was involved in some big moments inSaturday’s 2-1 win at the Bernabeu.
My Newspaper Sport looks at how he did, why he was dropped last week and why he might be dropped again.
Alexander-Arnold, as he did hundreds of times for Liverpool, started on the right side of a back four but did not play as an orthodox right-back.
The 26-year-old often played quite central – and in attacking positions – in an inverted role at the Bernabeu.
At 0-0 he found Kylian Mbappe with a brilliant 50-yard ball forward from his own half, and the French forward found the net.
The goal was disallowed for offside, but it should not take away from how good Alexander-Arnold’s ball was to pick his team-mate out nearly half a pitch away.
He then crossed for Mbappe again, and the forward was denied by the goalkeeper.
He went close to a goal himself, with his drive from the edge of the box going just wide.
Alexander-Arnold was not involved in either goal but helped keep his team ahead after they came back from 1-0 down.
Sergi Darder cut the ball back from the byeline and Mateo Joseph seemed to have an open goal only for Alexander-Arnold to slide in and deny him inside the six-yard box.
His 72 touches were more than anybody else on the pitch when he was replaced by Dani Carvajal with 18 minutes to go.
He entered the final third nine times – with only one Madrid player doing so more times – although he also lost the ball 14 times.
Alexander-Arnold might find himself in and out of the team a bit at the start of the season.
While there were so many headlines around his move from Liverpool in the summer, it might have been easy to forget who Madrid’s existing right-back was.
It is six-time Champions League winner, four-time La Liga winner, Euro 2024 champion Carvajal – who finished fourth in the Ballon d’Or award last season.
Carvajal, 33, had recovered quicker than expected from a serious knee injury sustained last October.
But after starting against Oviedo, Alexander-Arnold was back in the starting line-up this weekend.
After that Oviedo game, boss Xabi Alonso said of his team selection: “It depends on what we need in terms of the game, the workload and the opposition.”
Carvajal is a more traditional right-back – and there is every chance he will start games if Alonso thinks he needs a better defender in there.
“Trent has had these doubters before, he’ll bounce back,” said ex-Liverpool full-back Stephen Warnock on My Newspaper Football Focus earlier on Saturday.
“It won’t be an issue for him. He’ll take that as motivation to push him forward and make him come back as a better player.”
In a similar vibe to having Carvajal competing for his position at Madrid, Tuchel said he was “a big fan of Trent” but just had other options – choosing Reece James and Tino Livramento instead.
Getting a regular run of Real Madrid games might help him get back in that squad.
It should not be forgotten that Alexander-Arnold is playing away from his hometown club for the first time in his career.
Of his 354 appearances for Liverpool, in 319 (90%) of them he played alongside right winger Mohamed Salah.
This was only his eighth game for Madrid, including at the Fifa Club World Cup in June and July.
“You look at the relationship he had with Salah on the right hand side – they understood each other’s game,” said Warnock.
“The midfielders understand that when he stepped into midfield or drove down the right side there was going to be a gap at right-back so they have to fill that for him.
“The right centre-back will know he’s not defensively the greatest so he might come over and help him out more.
“The Real Madrid players are still getting to know him and understand that.
“Once that comes together and he gets more confidence and starts spraying those balls and assisting, then the perception of him starts to change.”
Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague, speaking on My Newspaper Radio 5 Live on Thursday, said: “The Spanish media already have a narrative in place with Trent that he’s too shy, he doesn’t fit in and Carvajal will surpass him.
“I hope he hears this because he’s the type of guy who loves a challenge. He’s got a big one.”
Alexander-Arnold does not seem to have taken such a vocal role in the team as England team-mate Jude Bellingham did when he joined two years ago.
That was after the Liverpudlian impressed his new club’s fans by speaking Spanish at his unveiling.
Warnock added: “I don’t get it. Why can’t you just be your own person? If you want to come out and speak to the press then speak to the press. If you don’t and you’re a quiet, reserved person and want your own time, why can’t you just respect that?
“However that doesn’t take away from what he’s doing on the pitch and why he’s not been chosen by England. The Spanish press haven’t chosen that. The Real fans haven’t chosen that. That’s the England manager.”
And during Saturday’s game Balague said: “Let’s see what the media says about today’s performance.
“I am sure he has heard the doubts, and how some people enjoyed that he has been criticised. And I am convinced Trent will play much more than people think.”
