Arne Slot comments on Trent Alexander-Arnold situation after Liverpool victory

Arne Slot eased concerns over any rift between himself and Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold after their win over Brentford.

The television coverage of the game showed the defender looking less than pleased despite the team’s second win in two games at the start of the new campaign. He was substituted in the 72nd minute for Conor Bradley and he clapped the fans as he left the pitch, but he was far from happy while sat on the bench not long after.

First, there was a discussion between himself and Slot in which he held a frustrated expression. After the final whistle, he also look displeased as Diogo Jota tried to lift his spirits and fans on social media were certainly puzzled by the 25-year-old’s reaction.

Following the game, Slot spoke to the media in his press conference to shine a light on the situation. “I understand. Every player wants to play 90 minutes. But the players on the bench were also not happy with my choices.

“Trent came back from the national team where he played a lot at the start of the tournament, then had a few weeks off before coming back. We have to take care of him because we need him for the whole season. The good thing for me is that I have a very good back-up with Conor [Bradley] and it means we are taking good care with Trent, he played a good game today.”

The defender produced a strong showing at right-back against Brentford, registering an expected assist total of 0.53 and his touch-map showed a return to a more natural right-back role where he held his position out wide, rather than inverting like we saw from last season under Jurgen Klopp.

On the ball he showed his quality; he managed four key passes, completed 5/10 of his long passes, hit the woodwork from a corner, had a 82% pass success rate and created one big chance. There were also two tackles and one blocked shot as he enjoyed a successful afternoon at Anfield - and there are clearly no concerns over a potential disconnect with Slot despite whatever fans claim on social media.