'he Will Bounce Back' - Alexander-arnold Impresses On Real Return

Trent Alexander-Arnold was backmost successful nan Real Madrid squad astatine nan extremity of a week that did not spell to scheme - and impressed successful Saturday's comeback triumph complete Mallorca.

The erstwhile Liverpool right-back was dropped to nan chair for past weekend's triumph complete Real Oviedo - and was past near retired of Thomas Tuchel's England squad connected Friday.

But he was progressive successful immoderate large moments successful Saturday's 2-1 triumph astatine nan Bernabeu.

BBC Sport looks astatine really he did, why he was dropped past week and why he mightiness beryllium dropped again.

Alexander-Arnold, arsenic he did hundreds of times for Liverpool, started connected nan correct broadside of a backmost 4 but did not play arsenic an orthodox right-back.

The 26-year-old often played rather cardinal - and successful attacking positions - successful an inverted domiciled astatine nan Bernabeu.

At 0-0 he recovered Kylian Mbappe pinch a superb 50-yard shot guardant from his ain half, and nan French guardant recovered nan net.

The extremity was disallowed for offside, but it should not return distant from really bully Alexander-Arnold's shot was to prime his team-mate retired astir half a transportation away.

He past crossed for Mbappe again, and nan guardant was denied by nan goalkeeper.

He went adjacent to a extremity himself, pinch his thrust from nan separator of nan container going conscionable wide.

Alexander-Arnold was not progressive successful either extremity but helped support his squad up aft they came backmost from 1-0 down.

Sergi Darder trim nan shot backmost from nan byeline and Mateo Joseph seemed to person an unfastened extremity only for Alexander-Arnold to descent successful and contradict him wrong nan six-yard box.

His 72 touches were much than anybody other connected nan transportation erstwhile he was replaced by Dani Carvajal pinch 18 minutes to go.

He entered nan last 3rd 9 times - pinch only 1 Madrid subordinate doing truthful much times - though he besides mislaid nan shot 14 times.

Alexander-Arnold mightiness find himself successful and retired of nan squad a spot astatine nan commencement of nan season.

While location were truthful galore headlines astir his move from Liverpool successful nan summer, it mightiness person been easy to hide who Madrid's existing right-back was.

It is six-time Champions League winner, four-time La Liga winner, Euro 2024 champion Carvajal - who vanished 4th successful nan Ballon d'Or grant past season.

Carvajal, 33, had recovered quicker than expected from a superior knee wounded sustained past October.

But aft starting against Oviedo, Alexander-Arnold was backmost successful nan starting line-up this weekend.

After that Oviedo game, leader Xabi Alonso said of his squad selection: "It depends connected what we request successful position of nan game, nan workload and nan opposition."

Carvajal is simply a much accepted right-back - and location is each chance he will commencement games if Alonso thinks he needs a amended defender successful there.

"Trent has had these doubters before, he'll bounce back," said ex-Liverpool full-back Stephen Warnock connected BBC Football Focus earlier connected Saturday.

"It won't beryllium an rumor for him. He'll return that arsenic information to push him guardant and make him travel backmost arsenic a amended player."

In a akin vibe to having Carvajal competing for his position astatine Madrid, Tuchel said he was "a large instrumentality of Trent" but conscionable had different options - choosing Reece James and Tino Livramento instead.

Getting a regular tally of Real Madrid games mightiness thief him get backmost successful that squad.

It should not beryllium forgotten that Alexander-Arnold is playing distant from his hometown nine for nan first clip successful his career.

Of his 354 appearances for Liverpool, successful 319 (90%) of them he played alongside correct winger Mohamed Salah.

This was only his eighth crippled for Madrid, including astatine nan Fifa Club World Cup successful June and July.

"You look astatine nan narration he had pinch Salah connected nan correct manus broadside - they understood each other's game," said Warnock.

"The midfielders understand that erstwhile he stepped into midfield aliases drove down nan correct broadside location was going to beryllium a spread astatine right-back truthful they person to capable that for him.

"The correct centre-back will cognize he's not defensively nan top truthful he mightiness travel complete and thief him retired more.

"The Real Madrid players are still getting to cognize him and understand that.

"Once that comes together and he gets much assurance and starts spraying those balls and assisting, past nan cognition of him starts to change."

Spanish shot journalist Guillem Balague, speaking connected BBC Radio 5 Live connected Thursday, said: "The Spanish media already person a communicative successful spot pinch Trent that he's excessively shy, he doesn't fresh successful and Carvajal will surpass him.

"I dream he hears this because he's nan type of feline who loves a challenge. He's sewage a large one."

Alexander-Arnold does not look to person taken specified a vocal domiciled successful nan squad arsenic England team-mate Jude Bellingham did erstwhile he joined 2 years ago.

That was aft nan Liverpudlian impressed his caller club's fans by speaking Spanish astatine his unveiling.

Warnock added: "I don't get it. Why can't you conscionable beryllium your ain person? If you want to travel retired and speak to nan property past speak to nan press. If you don't and you're a quiet, reserved personification and want your ain time, why can't you conscionable respect that?

"However that doesn't return distant from what he's doing connected nan transportation and why he's not been chosen by England. The Spanish property haven't chosen that. The Real fans haven't chosen that. That's nan England manager."

And during Saturday's crippled Balague said: "Let's spot what nan media says astir today's performance.

"I americium judge he has heard nan doubts, and really immoderate group enjoyed that he has been criticised. And I americium convinced Trent will play overmuch much than group think."