Trent Alexander-Arnold was substituted in the 81st minute of Liverpool’s win over Chelsea last weekend and Roy Keane believes it shows Arne Slot does not trust him defensively
Roy Keane has taken a sarcastic dig at Trent Alexander-Arnold after he was taken off in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Chelsea.
Alexander-Arnold was replaced by Joe Gomez in the 81st minute, with Keane claiming it was a sign that new Liverpool boss Arne Slot does not trust him defensively. It is not the first time Slot has opted to replace Alexander-Arnold late on in games, with the full-back only playing the full 90 minutes in four out of 11 matches so far this season.
Speaking on the latest episode of Stick to Football, brought to you by Sky Bet, Keane said: “Trent – everyone thought he was brilliant defensively but the manager took him off with ten minutes to go.
“Brilliant, isn’t it? But anyway, that’s not the point. Ten minutes to go, you’re 2-1 and you take him off – that’s a great message. We really trust you defensively.”
It is not the first time Keane has been critical of Alexander-Arnold’s defensive abilities, with the former Manchester United captain taking aim at the 26-year-old after England’s 3-1 win over Finland earlier this month.
“If you give time to Trent, you can see his decision-making, his quality passing is fantastic but honestly, I still can’t believe how bad he is defensively,” Keane said on ITV. “Against better teams, of course he’ll be found out.”
However, Alexander-Arnold recently hit back at criticism of him as a defender. Speaking last month, the Liverpool star insisted: “I think that perception was perhaps harsh, if I’m honest. I think it was a big perception and it was hard to shrug off with just one singular good, defensive game.
“But I think when you put a lot together and we’ve had, how many games was that? Five? So four clean sheets out of five. That’s exceptional from the back line and that’s what we are.
“Defences win titles, that’s how the saying goes, defences win titles. Being part of that defence means I’ve got responsibility to make sure my winger doesn’t get a sniff in the game.
“I lay targets for every game, which is how many times does he dribble past, how many times does he get across, how many times does he get a shot? I’ll look back and if I’m disappointed, I’m disappointed and if I’m happy, I’m happy.”
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