Real Madrid full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has received a glowing assessment from head coach Alvaro Arbeloa, who has said that the former Liverpool man has earned his place in the starting XI ahead of Dani Carvajal.
When Trent initially moved to Madrid from Liverpool in June for a token fee of €10m, concerns were rapidly raised over his level, and in particular his defensive abilities.
The 27-year-old has never entirely convinced critics of the Bernabeu club, while in the background, veteran right-back Carvajal is furious that he has been sidelined under Arbeloa, causing the relationship between the two men to go “rotten”.
With a notoriously volatile locker room atmosphere, there are fears that this issue could trigger a repeat of the Xabi Alonso situation, in which the coach was hounded out of the club by unhappy players.
The Real Madrid boss has explained that he does not “gift” anyone minutes and that in his opinion, Trent is simply performing to a higher standard than the Spain veteran.
“Do I prefer Trent to Carvajal? He’s showing a good level, he deserves to play, his performance is beyond question,” Arbeloa said, defending his selection of the former Liverpool star to the media.
“Every match is a matter of life and death for me, when I put a player in, it’s because I believe he deserves it and because I think it’s the best way to win. I don’t gift anyone minutes.”
Trent vs Carvajal: The evidence that backs up Arbeloa
Trent and Carvajal have shared minutes almost equally in La Liga this season, with the Englishman playing 822 and his new colleague featuring for 819.
Arbeloa’s analysis of the situation is backed up by data from SciSports, which reports that Trent has been the 25th strongest full-back among the 76 who have played in Spain’s top flight this season, with Carvajal modestly coming in right in the middle of the pack at 37th.
Trent was brought to Real Madrid to provide attacking punch from the right side of the defence and is playing this role better than Carvajal. While his passing ranks only 68th among full-backs, he is performing to a high standard in terms of his crossing and dribbling. SciSports indicates that Carvajal, on the other hand, is statistically the worst crosser in La Liga from full-back.
Even defensively, the gulf between the players is not as big as might be imagined. Carvajal does have an edge in terms of his positioning and disruption, ranking second in La Liga in this latter category, but Trent has been better at controlling counterattacks and is not dramatically outgunned by his captain in any of SciSports’ categories.
Arbeloa is, therefore, right to ignore the noise from the media. Trent is having a quietly solid first season with Real Madrid, and that he is performing to a higher level than Carvajal is beyond question.
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