Trent Alexander Arnold is the Glue to Real Madrid
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On Saturday evening, Real Madrid made it eight consecutive wins in La Liga, with a 4-1 win at home to an in -form Real Sociedad team on match day 24 of the current campaign.
There were a number of impressive performances all over the park. Gonzalo Garcia continues to impress when he does get a chance to start a game, whilst Federico Valverde scored a lovely curling effort.
Another standout performer was Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Englishman was making his first start since December 3, when he picked up an injury against Athletic Bilbao, ruling him out of action for two months.
In that game, the 27-year-old registered an assist for Kylian Mbappe. Just five minutes into this game, he had done the same for Gonzalo Garcia, with a ridiculous curling ball from the right-hand side, begging for someone to get on the end of it, which the Spaniard duly did.
This was so important. When you are going to play a team that sits in for most of the game, scoring early on is huge. Having a player like TAA gives the team a weapon against low blocks. He's the perfect player to try and navigate them.
Trent Alexander-Arnold Different to Other Players
Real Madrid may have loads of top-class players in a variety of different positions, but they do not have anyone as creative as Alexander-Arnold. Honestly, it does not feel hyperbolic to say it's not even that close.
Injuries can make people forget how good a player he is. We all saw the player who was so crucial to Liverpool's success. We saw him and left-back Andy Robertson be the perfect antedote to their workmanlike midfield.
In the Spanish capital, there is also Federico Valverde. The right-back has an athletic player who can do his running for him. Having the two in the starting XI is extremely balanced and allows Alexander-Arnold to do his thing.
The masses love to mention the defensive side of the game. Who out there remembers Roberto Carlos and Marcelo for their defending? Nobody says "Marcelo was great at slide tackling" or "Roberto Carlos was brilliant at defending the back post".
Yes, maybe a player like Valverde is required. But as long as you surround him with mobile players, someone as talented as Alexander-Arnold should always be in the team. It would be such a waste of a unique talent if he were not playing.
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Tom Vinall is a sports writer covering Real Madrid On SI. Previously, he had worked at FanSided as both a contributor and site expert, covering the likes of Spurs and Bayern Munich. He has also previously written for Transfer News Live. Tom was born and lives in Bristol, South West England, and loves to listen to music as well as learning Spanish.
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