Liverpool supporters have sounded a cautionary note to Real Madrid after witnessing Trent Alexander-Arnold’s early moments in his debut appearance.
The England international, who recently completed a high-profile move from Liverpool to Madrid, was named in the starting lineup for their Club World Cup clash against Al Hilal, slotting in at right-back.
Fans of his former club were quick to react after watching his first few minutes on the pitch for his new team. Al Hilal made a strong start to the match and exploited space on Alexander-Arnold’s side of the field.
In the 19th minute, Renan Lodi capitalized on a defensive lapse from Alexander-Arnold and found the net, though the goal was later disallowed for offside. Despite the ruling, the error didn’t go unnoticed by Liverpool fans, who took to social media to warn Madrid of what might lie ahead.
One user on X remarked: “Real Madrid just got a sample of what defending with Trent looks like. He’s lucky that offside flag went up.”
Another wrote: “Madrid just got a taste of Trent’s lack of defensive awareness.”
A third simply stated: “Get used to it, lads.”
Someone else added: “LOL, only 18 minutes in and Trent was caught out of position by Lodi, who scored—though it didn’t count.”
Despite the early defensive criticism, Alexander-Arnold showcased his creative side by delivering a superb pass to launch a counter-attack that led to Gonzalo Garcia scoring from close range.
He also drifted into central midfield areas rather than sticking to the flank, trying to dictate play.
Al Hilal equalized shortly afterward when Ruben Neves converted a penalty, sending Thibaut Courtois the wrong way.
At halftime, former Champions League winner John Obi Mikel noted that while Alexander-Arnold needs to improve defensively, his attacking qualities remain impressive.
Leave a Reply