Trent Alexander-Arnold claims Arne Slot is giving his Liverpool players all the answers in games.
Liverpool bounced back from their shock home loss to Nottingham Forest by comfortably beating AC Milan and Alexander-Arnold says the Reds head coach constantly works on tactical changes. Slot’s switches paid off as Liverpool recovered from conceding an early goal and a poor start to beat Milan in the San Siro in their opening Champions League game.
Reds vice-captain Alexander-Arnold says Slot wants him to change position repeatedly in matches to counter whatever questions opponents pose. “It changes,” he said.
“It changes fluidly throughout games depending on how the opponents press us so there’re a lot of tactical changes within games - where to go, where not to go, when to stay wide, when to drop into the back line, when to go into midfield, when to be kind of like a No 8 or when Mo [Salah] rolls inside and I’m a high winger.
“There are all different variations and he gives us that information throughout the week, throughout the game, leading up to the game. He paints scenarios so we have answers for everything, so it’s kind of like ‘OK, if they press this way then this is where we’re going to be positioned and if they press a different way then we’ll position ourselves a different way’.
“There’s a solution to every problem they pose us.” Alexander-Arnold, who laid on Ibrahima Konate’s equaliser against Milan from a free-kick, is excited to play under Slot. He says he only allowed himself a short break after Euro 2024 because he was so keen to work with his first new manager at Anfield.
Alexander-Arnold had only ever known Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool and said: “I had a short time off in the summer after the Euros and then was back into it. I think for me it was just an excitement to work under a new manager I’d never had before, and having spoken to the manager, I was excited for the plans and the way he talked about everything.
“So, to get back as soon as possible and to be as fit as possible for the opening game of the season were my aims. I wanted to hit the ground running and be one of the best players in the league. That was my aim going into it, to hit the ground running and build a great foundation for the rest of the season.”