Trent Alexander-Arnold watched as his No.66 was held up for him to be replaced by Conor Bradley for the final minutes of Liverpools 2-2 draw against Manchester United. The right-back sauntered towards the sideline with a clap towards the crowd.
Perhaps he was asking for their forgiveness. His body language, much like his laid-back approach to running in-game, was in stark contrast to that of Cody Gakpo, who ran over to the sideline to swap with his replacement, Harvey Elliott.
The game was 2-2, it was still there to be won. Gakos approach summed up the mentality that has been apparent through the opening half-season of Arne Slots management at Anfield; hard-working, committed and disciplined, fighting for everything.
Defensive inadequacies brutally exposed
It wasnt quite the same for Alexander-Arnold, who was given the run around by Portuguese duo Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot, with Ruben Amorim clearly targeting the Reds right-hand side.
It isnt the first time and wont be the last time an opposition manager has sought to expose Alexander-Arnolds perceived defensive inadequacies, but rarely have they been so brutally exposed. Most inside Anfield and watching around the world could see the issue, and post-match the statistics made for uncomfortable reading; zero tackles, five duels lost, none won, dribbled past twice.
But the most alarming one, via SofaScore, was that Alexander-Arnold, ranked at no.1 in FourFourTwo's list of the best right-backs in the world right now, lost possession 27 times in 86 minutes on the pitch. That means giving the ball away on average every three minutes.
As ever with statistics, context is required and Trents role and the types of passes he makes are often more risky, so hell always have a higher loss of possession than a player who makes safe passes.
But against Manchester United it was alarming how often he under-hit a pass or simply failed to find a player in Liverpool red. The next highest was Mo Salah (18 times).
Of course, the narrative shifted to suggest Alexander-Arnolds continued links with a move to Real Madrid are affecting his performances - and that it could continue to do so in the coming months.
Trent 'wont let contract talks play out in public
The feeling among Liverpool supporters has been, for some time, that Alexander-Arnold is the least likely of the three out-of-contract players to sign a new deal, and he has also been the one who has least-committed publicly.
While Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah have, either directly or indirectly, stated their intention that they would like to remain at Liverpool, local boy Alexander-Arnold has not.
Instead, his only words on his situation came back in September when he insisted: I have signed four or five contract extensions, and none of those have been played out in public - and this one won't be either.
Such an approach, though, is flawed in modern football. Its a public sport and performances are played out in public. Bids and approaches from foreign clubs, too, are often publicised by one party or another.
While wed all prefer such negotiations and decisions to be private, it has got to the stage now where what needs to be made public is a decision, one way or another. Quite simply, Alexander-Arnold needs to state whether he wants to stay or not. He needs to own the decision if he has decided to leave for Madrid. The club and the supporters need transparency and clarity, so too, perhaps, does the player's own PR.
"The most important thing is trophies if I'm honest, he claimed back in September. Four months later Liverpool look very well placed to win trophies this season but the big fear is that these distractions impact those trophy ambitions.
The questions are large, the answers are complex and unknown; has Alexander-Arnold already decided he wants to leave for Madrid? Have Liverpool failed to make an offer he deems acceptable? If not, why not? And if an offer has been made, is it truly about winning trophies as he claims?
Cannot play 50-something games every season
When Alexander-Arnold was subbed in Liverpools first home game under Slot in August - a 2-0 win against Brentford - the player showed his annoyance with a gesture, presumably towards his family in the stands, after full time. The sulky demeanour wasnt exactly indicative of a strong start to life under the new regime but Slot did an excellent job dealing with the situation and has continued to do so since.
Slot, rightly, has pointed out how Alexander-Arnolds minutes need managing, in order to protect the player himself. Its something Jurgen Klopp admitted in 2020 but then failed to actually address in the four seasons since.
Robbo and Trent, lets say, they cannot play every season 50-something gamesit would limit their careers, to be honest, even when they come through, Klopp said in summer 2020. Since then, hes played 49 (2020/21), 51 (2021/22), 52 (2022/23) and 44 (2023/24) games for club and country. Such numbers arent sustainable and no wonder Liverpool have struggled in the latter stages of the most recent seasons - something Slot has indicated he intends not to repeat.
The Dutchman and his staff had an excellent fitness record at Feyenoord, something they are seeking to reproduce at Anfield, with more time at home for players, innovative and dynamic training exercises to optimise fitness, and more days off mid-season. Keeping players available was likely a key aspect in Liverpools hiring of Slot; too often they missed out on trophies due to injury crises under Klopp.
Alexander-Arnold, in his prime at age 26, may believe he can play every game, but that isnt something that will benefit him in the long term. Arguably, he needs only to look at his fellow full-back, Andy Robertson, who at age 30 is struggling to maintain his incredible energy when playing three games in a week. The Scot has noticeably looked better when hes been rotated with Kostas Tsimikas earlier in the season.
Its something Alexander-Arnold should be looking at if his decision is truly about winning trophies; Arne Slot offers that at Liverpool and the evidence is there even at this early stage of the Dutchmans tenure.
There was a more telling line from Alexander-Arnold back in September when he added: I am a player who is highly motivated by winning things and being elite. If you have a personality that is an elite athlete who will do anything to win, then that is what drives them. Words that sounded like a Real Madrid 'Galactico' upon their signing for the club. That 'do anything to win' might include leaving his boyhood club to further his own elite ambitions.
A month later he openly discussed his desire of winning the Ballon dOr - an award only once won by a Liverpool player and won more times by a Real Madrid player than any other club (12).
Perhaps the decision had already been made and now the silence from the player, combined with the lack of movement on new deals for Salah and Van Dijk either, is something that all supporters fear could derail the Reds season.
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