Trent Alexander-Arnold has offered a rebuttal to critics of his defensive abilities, claiming that people ‘like to shout’ when he makes mistakes but insisting he is still more than capable.
The 2022/23 season has been a mixed bag for Alexander-Arnold so far, with a number of defensive errors for Liverpool putting the right-back in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
On top of that, he has been unable to create chances for his teammates as frequently has he has done in the past, as Liverpool slipped to mid-table in the early weeks of the season.
The Reds’ form picked up, though, and Alexander-Arnold found a way into Gareth Southgate’s England squad after injuries to Kyle Walker and notably Reece James.
Speaking with ITV Sport, the Liverpool star said: “I would say there’s been a lot of spotlight on it. I’d say there’s been a massive magnifying glass on that aspect of my game [defending].
“I would say, for me, like any part of my game, there’s improvements to be made. There’s decisions that I could have made better. There’s instances where I could have defended a lot better, but at the same time, there’s been instances where I’ve defended really well.
“And that’s the way the game is. I think a lot of people like to shout about the mistakes and the ones that I could have done better on, rather than the ones that I defended well on.”
England take on Iran in their first game in Group B on Monday at 13:00 GMT.