Arne Slott has given his verdict on Trent Alexander-Arnold being booed ahead of the Champions League clash between Liverpool and Real Madrid. The right-back joined Los Blancos in an £8m deal this summer, making his first return to Anfield since leaving the club a few months ago.
He has been sidelined for several weeks due to injury and has not featured for Real since mid-September, so it appears that Xabi Alonso has predictably chosen to name him as a possible replacement. He remained a substitute in the past two games. Alexander-Arnold was undoubtedly the biggest talking point of the match, and Slott was asked about him on TNT Sports.
Asked about the likely reaction from Liverpool fans to his return, he said: “I have no idea.”
“If he warms up before the game, I don’t even know if he’s going to have a reception. That’s not the first thing that comes to mind when you think about this game.
“First of all, I think about the players who play for me and the players who play for Real Madrid.
“Obviously, with Trent coming in, he can have the ball and influence the game, more than anyone else, if not more than anyone else, but I definitely know he did a few times last season.
“He’s not only a great player, but also a great person.”
Slott quickly received an answer to what kind of reception he would receive when Alexander-Arnold jeered during warm-ups. Alonso was also asked about the 27-year-old in his pre-match press conference.
“We talked about the team and the club. He has to enjoy himself in his own way,” he said. “He was born and raised here and I remember him from a young age. Winning the Champions League, he deserves to enjoy that moment. I’m happy to be back and it will be great for him too.”
Federico Valverde was placed at right-back, while Alexander-Arnold started as a substitute. Dean Huyssen also returned to England after joining the Spanish capital from Bournemouth, with the attacking trio of Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior leading the line.
Meanwhile, Slott made changes from the team that beat Aston Villa at the weekend, opting to bring on Florian Wertz in place of Codi Gakpo. The decision means Andy Robertson, Ryan Gravenbirch and Alexis Mac Allister will all retain their positions.
Wirtz’s inclusion may be seen as surprising given Liverpool’s impressive performance on Saturday night and his own recent difficulties.
“He started one of the last four games and I would say he has started a few games this season as well,” Slott admitted of the Germany international.
“That’s not an excuse, that’s exactly what it is, but we’ve played three times in seven days. For a player in another league, the Premier League is a little bit more intense. Especially in all the games and in the top games, you see he’s played a lot and influenced a lot of games, sometimes to the detriment of himself and his team-mates in the end.”
“He can produce a lot for the team and he will score, but I don’t think anyone will be surprised if he goes to a new league at the age of 22. There may be an adjustment to be made. Grabenwerch is just sitting here now and took time to adjust, maybe even longer than it took Florian.”
