It was a far from straightforward night for Liverpool against Crystal Palace on Monday, despite what the 2-0 scoreline may suggest.
It was a hard fought victory for the Reds, who had to cope with the fact that a handful of their first team stars weren't quite performing to the lofty standards they have previously set.
One culprit of this was youngster Trent Alexander Arnold, who had a particularly frustrating evening on the right flank for Jurgen Klopp's men. The 19-year-old couldn't seem to find the right delivery on a number of occasions and he didn't seem confident enough to drive forward and test Palace's back line.
He seemed to be a shadow of the player who took the Premier League by storm last season and his shortcomings were more apparent due to the outstanding performance by Palace's young right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who was hugely impressive for the Eagles.
Some Liverpool fans were left fuming at Alexander Arnold's performance and some were even calling for him to be hauled off.
Trent Alexander Arnold has not yet put in 1 decent cross after 2564436 try’s
— ~ (@Jackinho666) August 20, 2018
Great win away playing average. Alexander Arnold is a liability at the back. #lfc
— Michèal Lundy (@lundycorofin) August 20, 2018
Alexander Arnold is so overrated it’s a joke 😂😂😂😂
— Sam jackson (@Samjacko7) August 20, 2018
Alexander Arnold is pure dung get on Clyne #mnf #LiverpoolFC
— Conor Bradley (@ConorBradley86) August 20, 2018
However, it is hard to remember that this is Alexander Arnold's second full season in senior football and he is bound to be making mistakes at such a tender age. At 19-years-old he has bags of potential and is surely going to improve the weak areas of his current game.
Some fans were much more sympathetic and were fully aware that he is essentially still a work in progress.
If Trent Alexander-Arnold improves his crossing he will easily be one of the best full backs in the league in a year or two
— Andy Castell (@AJ3) August 20, 2018
Alexander - Arnold doesn’t get anywhere near as much recognition as he deserves, pure class👀
— Corey Hill (@_coreyhill6) August 20, 2018
Alexander-Arnold is absolute class. What a player!
— Chris Hogg (@Chris_hogg) August 20, 2018
Liverpool are set to host Brighton in their third match of the season on Saturday and it would come as no surprise if Alexander Arnold retains his place at right-back. However, if he is to nail down his place in the starting XI, he may need to start improving the weak areas of his game sooner rather than later.
