Trent Alexander-Arnold slammed by Spanish media as Real Madrid reality sets in

Spanish media has responded to Trent Alexander-Arnold's performance for Real Madrid in the Champions League

Trent Alexander-Arnold has come under fire from the Spanish press following his display against Benfica on Wednesday. Real Madrid advanced to the Champions League round of 16 after triumphing 3-1 on aggregate, yet the full-back continues to face intense scrutiny.

The former Liverpool star started the second leg of Real's play-off tie with Jose Mourinho's Benfica as goals from Aurelien Tchouameni and Vinicius Junior sealed a 2-1 home victory. Alvaro Arbeloa's side were forced to fight back after Benfica's Rafa Silva broke the deadlock at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Spanish heavyweights will now face either Manchester City or Sporting Lisbon in the next round ahead of the Champions League draw on Friday. However, the reaction to Alexander-Arnold's latest outing serves as a stark reminder that every facet of his game will remain under the microscope during his spell at Real, even when the team are winning.

Sport

The Spanish publication rated his performance as five out of 10. Sport delivered a damning assessment of Alexander-Arnold, stating that "his marking is nonexistent".

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The 27-year-old defender was pitted against Andreas Schjelderup on Benfica's left flank and the outlet felt the Real full-back came off second best in his individual duel. The report described him as being "repeatedly outplayed" by the winger.

Alexander-Arnold was credited with creating one chance that should have resulted in a goal. However, the report stated: "His ability to deliver good crosses and accurate passes doesn't compensate for his defensive fragility in demanding matches."

AS

Alexander-Arnold received a more favourable review from AS. The ratings piece acknowledged that having the right-back in the side "changes the face of Real Madrid's attack, without a doubt".

He was praised for his excellent passing and for delivering several crosses into the box. Like Sport, the outlet admitted Alexander-Arnold deserved an assist after setting up a chance for Fede Valverde.

However, AS also felt that the full-back "covered well" defensively. Summing up his performance, the report stated: "He continues to take steps forward."

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Marca

The publication chose to focus on Alexander-Arnold's defensive work, rather than his attacking output. He was praised for making a "decisive interception" in the first half.

However, Marca partly blamed him for Benfica taking the lead. The report said: "He was largely inactive in the build-up to Rafa Silva's opening goal, who scored easily after a Courtois save."

Mundo Deportivo

Mundo Deportivo appeared less than blown away by Alexander-Arnold's display, though stopped short of digging out the right-back. His defensive work was described as "fine, nothing special".

In contrast to other assessments, the publication did not heap praise on his chance creation. Instead, the verdict on his attacking qualities was bluntly summed up as "all crosses and more crosses".