Trent Alexander-Arnold had the eyes of the world on him following his performance against Man United, which Arne Slot handled with “a little bit of love.”
Alexander-Arnold came under intense scrutiny and criticism in the wake of Liverpool’s 2-2 draw against Man United earlier this month, having looked disinterested, to say the least.
His sluggish performance saw him culpable for both goals conceded, and amid his contract uncertainty and Real Madrid‘s interest, it only intensified the reaction.
Slot swiftly defended his vice-captain in the immediate aftermath and has now explained to TNT Sports‘ Rio Ferdinand that it was a situation that needed “love,” not a heavy hand.
He said: “It always depends on where is the player himself, does he need a bit of love or do I need to be hard on him?
“In this situation, I think he needed a bit more love than telling him what he had to improve. That was clear for everyone.
“It was also clear, and I said it in the press [conferences] also, that if you have one bad game and you get this much criticism, it probably tells you how high your level is.”
Slot has proven to be straightforward in his media appearances and he was again here with his assessment of Alexander-Arnold, who he acknowledged can, at times, lack effort in games and training.
It will not be a secret to the vice-captain as the two have had countless conversations on what he needs to improve, but Slot’s words are certainly insightful.
“His willingness to improve,” Slot started when asked what he is most impressed with by his No. 66, before adding: “When we started working together I emphasised a bit on his defensive work.
“So he had to keep producing the number of assists and goals, but if we wanted to be the team that conceded less shots, he had to improve a bit in defending.
“I’ve shown him that he’s able to do so if he puts enough effort in. Sometimes, like the United game which was an exception this season, he seems to lack a bit of effort in some moments.
“But if he is on top of his game, he is a very good defender as well. His thing is then consistency, we’ve spoken a lot about him in consistency in training sessions and in games.
“He’s been quite long at this club, so he sometimes trains or has played games like, ‘Ah, it’s another one from the 200 I’ve already played or training sessions I’ve already had’.
“This is what we’ve worked on and I think we can see the progression he’s made.”
