Trent Alexander Arnold, the newly turned 21-year-old right-back, is my answer. And he showed exactly why on Sunday in Liverpool’s impressive 2-1 comeback win over Spurs at Anfield. In the victory, Alexander Arnold put it all out on display: 130 touches the most of any player, 83 passes, four ball recoveries, and two tackles, one block, and one interception. Football fans can book Premier League Tickets on our website on exclusively discounted prices.
In the span of three minutes in the first half, he curled in a perfect free-kick for a Virgil van Dijk header which was tipped over by Paulo Gazzaniga before looping a sumptuous cross to Sadio Mané which was headed wide. And between those two near assists, an Andy Robertson cutback to outside the area was met by a powerful right-footed Alexander Arnold drive that was carried away by Gazzaniga.
Of course, there are not many wrong answers to the earlier hypothetical, but that just shows you how many dynamic and skillful players Jürgen Klopp has at his disposal. But the youngest player, the lone scorer in the team, tops my list because he has become the man who continually makes things happen for Liverpool.
Alexander Arnold leads the Premier League with 37 key passes. He needs just 11 more to equal the number he had in 29 appearances last season.
And he is behind only Manchester City’s midfield dynamo Kevin De Bruyne in big chances created with eight, just three fewer than he created in all of last season. He has got one more than Roberto Firmino at the center of Liverpool’s attack, and double the number of Robertson.
The degree of difficulty of these passes cannot be ignored, either. He is not playing in the middle, with runners constantly moving in and around him, and options on both sides. He is on the wing, often fairly isolated while knowing if something goes wrong he has defensive responsibilities to uphold and doesn’t have the relative comfort of playing next to Van Dijk.
And his role is only growing. He delivered 201 crosses and 1,697 passes last campaign, and he is at 109 crosses and 672 passes already this term. After finishing 19th in the league for touches on the ball a season ago, he now leads the Premier League in touches after 10 games
Alexander Arnold’s dynamism from right-back may be the biggest reason Alex Oxlade Chamberlain and Naby Keita has been unable to break into the midfield on a consistent basis so far although that may change in the months ahead. Even after playing very well in midweek at Genk, the pair was unused substitutes against Spurs.
While many will point to what those two options can give the Liverpool attack versus what is provided by Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum, the addition would arguably mean less time on the ball for Alexander Arnold.
Not to mention the defensive cover and solidity of Liverpool’s midfield options consistently offer and allow the right-back the freedom to be one of the Premier League’s most proficient creators. The route into the team for Oxlade-Chamberlain and Keita is that much more difficult because Klopp already has a more creative player on the pitch in Alexander-Arnold, although finding a way to balance all their strengths together could make Liverpool even more potent in the future.
The only number in which Alexander-Arnold is slightly off the pace from last season assists, with just three so far after tallying 15 in all competitions in 2018-19. But that will surely come, given the quality of chances he is regularly carving out just as the ball will continue to fall at his feet at the edge of the opposition penalty area.
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