Despite losing Jurgen Klopp on Sunday, Liverpool fans have plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future.
With Arne Slot joining, there will be a total overhaul at Anfield in 2024/25.
This clean slate will apply to the majority of the first-team squad. Players who were not favoured by Klopp may be given another chance with Slot.
Aside from a few players who have raised concerns, the new manager and his coaching staff have an extremely talented bunch to work with.
In addition, according to commentator Paul Merson, Slot will have access to a player who is currently ‘a million miles’ ahead of anyone else in the country.
Paul Merson praises Trent Alexander-Arnold’s passing.
Slot must be licking his lips when he looks at Liverpool’s team. Although one or two areas require improvement, this is a group with a lot going for it.
With a few tweaks, this might be a truly remarkable group of players. Slot will trust himself to make the necessary adjustments.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, in particular, could benefit from these changes. Trent is definitely one of Liverpool’s greatest players, but he may benefit from having his position clarified. One of Slot’s biggest challenges will be figuring out how to effectively use the 25-year-old.
Merson, speaking to Sky Sports after Alexander-Arnold was named to the prospective England Euro 2024 team, argued that the academy graduate should be permanently deployed in midfield.
“I’m not sure about Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back, I’m not,” the analyst states. “I think he’s a fantastic player with an incredible passing range. I believe he is the best passer in the country, but he is not a defender at the international level.
“It’s a tough one; he’s competed against some lesser-known teams. He hasn’t faced the best midfielders. He’s played against teams where he’ll have time on the ball, so it’s difficult to judge. You’ll face Toni Kroos and other seasoned pros, including [Luka] Modric. You go to get them, and they chuck it around the corner.
“If he joins the team, get him on the ball; he is, in my opinion, the best passer in the country by a million miles. He has an incredible passing range. And given how good we are, he probably won’t play.
Where will Trent Alexander-Arnold play under Arne Slot?
This is Alexander-Arnold’s first full season in a hybrid midfield/right-back role.
In truth, it has worked at times, but we would have preferred to see Trent return to his former role as a full-back.
If he isn’t going to play there, we believe he should be moved to midfield. Former Liverpool player Danny Murphy believes Slot will ultimately do this with the No.66, and we agree.
From a constant central position, you eliminate many of the concerns – unfounded or not – about Trent’s defending while also putting him in a location where he can always be on the ball.
If Gareth Southgate deploys the Liverpool player centrally in the Euros, it may urge Slot to do the same. As Merson points out, no one can pass it quite like Alexander-Arnold. That’s a weapon the new boss must utilize.
