Lijnders Bet his Liverpool Salary to Play Alexander-Arnold in Midfield

Few possess the passing ability of the overtly talented but often underappreciated Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Englishman is one of his generation’s most technically gifted footballers, displaying his exceptional ability in his hugely successful career thus far.

By the time Alexander-Arnold turned 22, he had already won both the Premier League and Champions League with his boyhood club. At 25, he has played over 300 games for Liverpool and broken the assist record for defenders in England, managing 58 in the top flight. However, this elite attacking output has sometimes come to the detriment of his perception in the mainstream. Some see Alexander-Arnold merely as an offensive full-back, who struggles in moments of defensive transition and when isolated one-on-one with direct wingers.

Perhaps these issues in his game stem from his midfield routes. The Liverpudlian was developed initially as a midfielder in his time in the Reds’ academy, and it was only late into his development when he was transitioned to full-back. While operating at right-back has likely accentuated his passing strengths, with more time and space to pick progressive passes, this has also exposed his lack of natural defensive instincts.

In the 2022/23 season, with Liverpool floundering and looking disjointed due to their ageing midfield, the criticism over his defensive limitations intensified. Jurgen Klopp’s assistant, Pep Lijnders, sought to offset these issues and alter the Merseyside team’s tactical structure, by moving Alexander-Arnold into midfield. In the next game, Klopp implemented this change, and kept with it as Liverpool won seven of their last nine Premier League games.

In an interview with Redmen TV, Lijnders revealed that this change was his idea. The number two told Klopp that “we need the extra player, we need Trent there.” Indeed, Lijnders was so adamant that this switch would prove fruitful, that he told Klopp he could have his entire salary if it proved otherwise.

Lijnders on Tactical Changes

“We need to have what Bobby Firmino did”

Klopp’s Liverpool became synonymous with an intense, pressing style of play during his peak years at the club. The German set his side up with three workmanlike midfielders, while the creativity came from moments in broken play and his marauding full-backs. The two wingers were tasked with making diagonal runs to get beyond the striker, who would often drop deep to facilitate build-up.

Roberto Firmino was the linchpin false nine that allowed this system to work, and when he left at the end of last season, Klopp was seeking an alternative solution. The Brazilian’s ability to join the midfield not only caused overloads in this central area of the pitch, but also created space for the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane to exploit.

“Bobby was the one who always became the extra player here, in the half-space, or even next to the six,” Lijnders told Redmen TV. “This means that we had one more player than the opposition most of the time in the centre, which means you can control the game.”

“Darwin is not the player to control the centre, so who becomes the extra player there?”

Lijnders explained that while Cody Gakpo could fulfil this role from time to time, Liverpool needed a consistent solution that could cause these midfield overloads when Gakpo did not start up front. Having coached Alexander-Arnold in the under-16s, the Dutchman decided to pitch the idea of utilising the full-back in more central areas.

“My idea constantly was: the best number 6 I had in the U16s was Trent Alexander-Arnold, It’s not to only have extra players inside, to have four here (in the midfield), to have the same as what Bobby Firmino did.

“But it’s also to have Trent in a position where the ball can fly from left to right. What I said constantly to Jurgen was, ‘We have to do it.'”

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Lijnders on Alexander-Arnold in Midfield

“It will work”

Despite Klopp’s supposed initial resistance to the idea of inverting Alexander-Arnold, Lijnders was insistent on experimenting with it, and ultimately Klopp caved. He explained: “‘But Pep, blah blah blah’ [Klopp complained]. We have to do it.”

The assistant continued, saying that he grew sick of Klopp’s push-back, and that led to him offering up his salary for the next season, in an attempt to express how certain he was about the tweak.

“We need the extra player, we need Trent there. I tell you it will work, it will work.”

Lijnders expanded on Alexander-Arnold, praising his ability to win second balls and his passing range. This tactical tweak may well have renewed faith in the Englishman, who has gone on to have an excellent campaign for Liverpool in 2023/24, and is now being considered for a role in midfield for his national team at the Euros this summer.