Alexander-Arnold: Will he transform Real Madrid like he did at Liverpool?

At just 20 years old, Trent Alexander-Arnold was already forging his legend at Liverpool. The clock showed 78:10, and Liverpool was preparing for another epic comeback in Europe, this time against Barcelona in the second leg of the 2019 Champions League semi-finals. Alexander-Arnold, lining up for a corner, noticed Barcelona’s defensive lack of attention and took advantage of it with a masterful pass to Divock Origi, who sealed the pass to the final. There, Liverpool would conquer their sixth European crown by defeating Tottenham Hotspur. The success continued in the following years. Liverpool won two Premier League titles and reached another Champions League final in 2022, establishing themselves as one of the best clubs in Europe since the late 2010s. Alexander-Arnold was key to this success, ranking third in assists in the Premier League from 2018 to last season. His ability to create play, both in open play and from set pieces, from the full-back position, is exceptional. Alexander-Arnold’s talent is scarce, and Liverpool was the great beneficiary for almost a decade. Now, after the expiration of his contract, he undertakes a new challenge with Real Madrid. The Club World Cup, in which the Spanish team was defeated by Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals, marked the beginning of a new chapter for the English player, and we were able to glimpse what he could contribute to LaLiga. But before projecting what will come, it’s crucial to review Alexander-Arnold’s trajectory to this point.

The First Days under Klopp

The Liverpool that Jürgen Klopp took and molded at the beginning of his tenure was very different from the one that achieved success. Back then, the team played a purer “heavy metal” football, which had swept through the German league when Klopp was at Borussia Dortmund. It was based on “counterpressing”, intense pressure after losing possession to regain the ball and prevent the counterattack.

The ability to quickly convert defense into attack was crucial for generating high-quality opportunities. Klopp himself described counterpressing as the best playmaker. Players like Joe Allen were vital in those early months, with the stamina and tactical awareness needed to win the ball and create quick attacks. This translated into impressive Premier League victories: doubles against Manchester City in 2015-16, the thrilling 5-4 against Norwich, a double against Arsenal in 2016-17, and some thrashings in Klopp’s first 18 months. This focus on transition also propelled Liverpool to the 2016 Europa League final, including another memorable comeback at Anfield against Dortmund. The disadvantage was that, when Liverpool faced more defensive teams, the results were more mixed. Despite the successes, there were many matches in which they could not break down closed defenses, which cost them points and limited their domestic success. For Liverpool to go from a brave but flawed team to a great team, both the personnel and the tactics had to evolve.

The Influence of Alexander-Arnold

The Liverpool attack was consolidated in the 2010s, largely thanks to good recruitment and some luck. The club signed top-level talents for relatively low fees: Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mané, and Mohamed Salah. The arrival of Andrew Robertson in the summer of 2017 was immediate, playing regularly in both the league and the Champions League. Alexander-Arnold emerged from the club’s youth academy as a teenager, also with consistent minutes, which is uncommon. Combining all this, the backbone of one of the most captivating attacks in Europe was formed.

In addition to the new signings, Liverpool changed their game plan. To get the best out of Mané and Salah, Robertson and Alexander-Arnold became key players, advancing and acting as wingers in a five-man attack during possession in the opposing half. The midfield, which included Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, and Georginio Wijnaldum, covered the spaces, along with a generational defender like Virgil van Dijk. That version of Liverpool remained from 2018 to 2020, before the arrival of Thiago Alcântara led the midfield to play a more important role in the team’s attack from 2021 to 2023. A simple way to see the influence of the full-backs is to observe the number of crosses Liverpool has made during this period. In the 2017-18 Premier League season, Liverpool was among the top 10 in terms of most crosses in a single season. This reconfiguration makes sense when considering how exceptional Alexander-Arnold has been as a creator. According to FBref, he has been in the 90th percentile or higher in a number of passing and creation metrics, including expected assists, shot-creating actions, and progressive passes from 2019 to 2025. In that span, Alexander-Arnold ranks fourth in the Premier League in total involvements in attacking sequences that end in a shot, and 14th per 90 minutes for players with at least 10,000 minutes. Few players in the history of the league have been as devastating as Alexander-Arnold. A name that comes to mind is David Beckham during his time at Manchester United. A contemporary of Alexander-Arnold, Kevin De Bruyne, made the right half-space his office for many key passes and assists through crosses. De Bruyne was a greater threat to make runs into the wide areas of the box for ground passes or cutbacks towards the center, while Alexander-Arnold was a wonderful aerial passer from deeper areas. Both could hit runners without the ball at the far post with deliveries that consistently hit the target, even at times when a teammate won the ball high up and had time to study their options. Alexander-Arnold was more than a defender who just crossed the ball. He had a great touch in diagonal game changes that could destabilize the opposition. Despite being a full-back, he was a threat to generate those high-value filtered passes that you would associate with a technical midfielder. Off-the-ball movement was a minor part of his game compared to others in his position, but he wasn’t a disaster in that aspect either. In particular, he could be available for short changes near the area that helped amplify his passes. Progressive dribbles under pressure and individual dribbles were not the main hallmarks of his game, but the passes were so overwhelming that, ultimately, it didn’t matter. The heat map from 2019 to 2022 shows the greatest concentration just inside the opposing half, where Alexander-Arnold regularly attempted crosses or looked to switch the play. This period was a perfect marriage between Alexander-Arnold’s unique skills and Liverpool’s attack, which was more unpredictable than that of most top teams at the time. They felt comfortable playing a more vertical game, because, in addition to Mané and Salah being the rare attackers who were both technically and physically dominant, Alexander-Arnold was more than willing to serve them with a variety of passes from different angles.

The Inverted Lateral Experiment

Towards the end of the 2022-23 season, an interesting pattern emerged. Liverpool experienced a decline in form compared to previous campaigns, missing out on Champions League qualification, something that hadn’t happened since Klopp was hired in October 2015. Rivals were better prepared to plan against Liverpool’s base attack, and, combined with the aging of the midfield core, they were more susceptible to transition attacks. While Liverpool had always conceded high-quality chances on average in the past (an inevitability for proactive defensive teams), the creation of high recoveries helped keep the volume low and in their favor. That was not the case in 2022-23. As such, Klopp made the interesting decision to move Alexander-Arnold more centrally as part of a double pivot. The idea of full-backs moving inside as midfielders in possession had become fashionable as a method to assert control. Why? Because by overloading the center, you are more likely to progress between the lines. If the opposition tries to combat that with a narrower out-of-possession structure, there is easier access to the wings. While Alexander-Arnold previously had license to roam inside when needed, he tended to operate as a typical full-back during the 2010s. As Liverpool no longer controlled matches as they had in previous seasons, it was worth trying to change his role. The results were instantaneous. From the international break in March until the end of the season, Liverpool tied for third place in points per game. Their underlying numbers were what you would expect from a top-four team, an improvement over their performance for most of the season before the change, but still below the previous season. The 2023-24 campaign was even more promising, with Liverpool at the center of the title race for long periods. If it weren’t for Salah’s injury and the drop in form after the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, their twentieth league title might have arrived a year earlier than it did. What made Alexander-Arnold’s interpretation of the inverted full-back role interesting was that, while he became more meticulous with the pace of his passes, he often displayed the directness we associate with him. Conversely, someone like Oleksandr Zinchenko would seek to circulate possession, show fluid off-the-ball positioning, and act as a decoy. Alexander-Arnold would constantly look to launch forward passes as a playmaker from deep, whether between the lines or over the opposing defensive line. More than anything, his presence in the center was to help create more transition moments, which fit with the club’s M.O. In the 2023-24 season, Alexander-Arnold was sixth in the Premier League for total completed through balls, according to FBref, with no other defender coming close in the rankings. It’s fair to say that Alexander-Arnold performed admirably during this stretch and remained a dynamic playmaker, but the new usage wasn’t without flaws. In particular, he wasn’t the most graceful under pressure, and his back-to-goal play was uneven, making him more vulnerable to pressure than midfielders or even inverted full-backs selected. This led Klopp to try to put him in more forward-facing situations outside the opposing block when receiving in the center as the 2023-24 season progressed.

Swan Song under Slot

The 2024-25 season saw Alexander-Arnold return more to the role he had in previous years. A greater proportion of his open play touches were from the right wing, and he didn’t try to play as a central midfielder as often. While he still had more freedom to roam through the center compared to his early years, he was more measured and selective. Liverpool under coach Arne Slot last season was a bit different compared to Klopp’s team. The Dutch coach prioritized a greater emphasis on control through building from the center, including moments when Liverpool tried to attract pressure in the hope of creating artificial transitions. In settled possession, they would often have four behind the ball during the build-up, with a single midfielder or a double pivot in place. The midfield trio formed by Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, and Dominik Szoboszlai was a massive change from what Liverpool had in previous years, and it was the basis for playing through the opposition. In the early stages of possession, Alexander-Arnold himself would often be the most advanced of the four defenders, which would resemble an L shape. This had a domino effect where Alexander-Arnold’s attacking gifts were used less frequently and he was no longer the creative hub he had been in previous seasons. His statistics showed a notable reduction, as others in the team took on more responsibilities. There was a greater level of caution in his approach, in line with the overall tactics. There were still moments when Alexander-Arnold’s passes helped tilt matches. He had a late secondary assist to help Liverpool draw at Arsenal in October through a perfectly weighted lob to Darwin Núñez. In Liverpool’s 6-3 victory over Tottenham Hotspur during the Christmas period, he delivered a pinpoint cross to Luis Díaz for the opening goal. In the 90th minute away to Brentford in January, Alexander-Arnold’s run into the right-hand area and eventual low cross were met by Núñez to break the deadlock in what turned out to be a 2-0 win.

If Slot’s football turned Alexander-Arnold into a slightly more peripheral figure in attack, it helped mitigate his defensive deficiencies. Alexander-Arnold was never a net positive in defense for a variety of reasons, including athletic deficiencies in defending in one-on-one situations and a lack of awareness off the ball. The combination of having more players behind the ball during build-up, and Liverpool defending primarily in a 4-2-4 shape out of possession to limit central progression, helped mitigate some of the concerns.

Assuming a New Challenge in Spain

Once it became clear that Alexander-Arnold would sign with Real Madrid, there was considerable intrigue about how he would fit into their starting eleven. This was especially true once Xabi Alonso became the club’s coach. What we did know about Alonso’s time with Bayer Leverkusen was his insistence on controlling matches, not out of a dogmatic adherence to formation or structure, but because he had clear principles both in and out of possession. From there, he adapts to the skill sets available to him within the team so that they can solve problems on the fly over the course of 90 minutes. Some thought there could be an initial synergy with Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé. Those two are some of the best in the world at piercing high defensive lines through straight-line runs behind the opposition. They could take advantage of long aerial balls directed towards them, especially in moments of controlled chaos from high recoveries or second ball recoveries. Whenever Alexander-Arnold takes up aggressive positions against a low block, Federico Valverde can help cover him defensively due to his impressive ground coverage. The Club World Cup gave us a first glimpse of Alexander-Arnold’s potential role with Real Madrid. There were some clumsy moments during the early stages of the build-up, including Alexander-Arnold not receiving cleanly with his back to the goal and allowing the incoming pressure. He also occasionally missed direct short-range passes towards the double pivot in space to help progress the game.

Once Real Madrid reached the opposing field, Alexander-Arnold was a much more peripheral figure compared to previous years, especially under Klopp. He was largely limited to providing width along the right flank, with occasional runs into the right channel. The lack of runners in the area made it more difficult for him to connect his famous crosses. In general, the slow pace in attack and the lack of opportunities to play in moments of chaos also detracted from some of what made Alexander-Arnold special in the Premier League. Without being a code of tricks in possession, it amplified some of the defensive concerns. His high positioning prevented him from helping effectively in the counterweight, and some indecision in situations where they were trying to trap the opposition near their own area. This is not to say that there were no bright moments during the Club World Cup. Alexander-Arnold’s crosses were accurate and precise in Madrid’s group stage victory against RB Salzburg. He had the assist for Madrid’s goal in their 1-0 victory in the round of 16 over Juventus, which came from an improvised run into the area that set up a low, short-range cross. It should be noted that we are talking about a handful of games during what was essentially a preseason tournament, so it would be unwise to take too much from it. However, it would be fair to suggest that there could be some growing pains in the first year.

A Lasting Legacy, and What It Will Do in Madrid

During the last seasons, with all his flaws, Alexander-Arnold has been one of the best players in the world. It’s very rare for a full-back to be the main or co-main playmaker of one of the most dynamic attacks in the world for a period of several years, which was the case for Liverpool. Having such a big impact in the final third more than compensated for the drawbacks he had defensively, which included athletic limitations in one-on-one situations and being guilty of ball-watching. This helps explain why comprehensive metrics, such as Donald Cayton’s MBAPPE model, consistently rated him highly in recent years. That level of impact is what Real Madrid hopes to see from Alexander-Arnold, as the club looks to recover from a very disappointing campaign in which they finished second in LaLiga and were eliminated from the Champions League in the quarter-finals. In theory, adding a player of his caliber as a free agent should be an added bonus. However, we have seen over the years (as with Real Madrid) that simply piling talented players on top of each other doesn’t necessarily make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. Part of getting the best out of Alexander-Arnold will mean creating more controlled chaotic situations in which he thrived with Liverpool. It could be very difficult given the slower pace of LaLiga. Those dynamic situations would not only benefit him, but also others like Mbappé and Vinícius. Trying to find a balance between embracing chaos and controlled possession, while trying to create a functional defensive unit, will define Alonso’s tenure as Real Madrid coach. It will be interesting to see what happens with Alexander-Arnold once he starts his life in Spain. He could benefit from LaLiga being a less physically demanding league than the Premier League, but he will also face a lot of low defensive blocks and potentially fewer situations against unstable opponents. Replicating what he achieved in England will be a difficult task, as he won all possible major trophies with Liverpool. At the same time, he achieved that through an atypical style of play that transformed him into the quarterback of the team’s attack, a rare feat given the position he occupies. Trent Alexander-Arnold left the Premier League as one of its best players of all time. It will be fascinating to see if he can reach similar heights in LaLiga as a Real Madrid player.