The Manchester City-Liverpool match on the last day of the Premier League ended in a dominant performance by the Reds against Pep Guardiola's team (0-2). However, the match left Carlo Ancelotti very worried.
The Italian coach didn't miss the summit clash of the Premier League. He wanted to see City after their debacle against Real Madrid; Liverpool, a possible Champions League rival; and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The Red full-back is committed to Real Madrid and will wear white on July 1st unless he backs out at the last minute, as Alphonso Davies did.
Arnold's Statistics: Marcelo 2.0
What Carlo Ancelotti saw didn't please him at all. He discovered the weak point of an excellent defender in game construction, but also vulnerable in the defensive aspect.
What was seen at Etihad Stadium was a re-edition of Marcelo: a great offensive full-back and a discreet defensive full-back.
In fact, yesterday nothing else was talked about in English soccer circles: Trent Alexander-Arnold's statistics against Belgian Jérémy Doku. The Red full-back has been heavily criticized for his performance.
Doku showed Alexander-Arnold what hell is. He dribbled past him 12 times, which is a record in the Premier League.
The Belgian international drove him crazy with his feints and bursts down the wing. He successfully completed 15 of the 20 dribbles he attempted in one-on-one situations.
Criticism Targets Arnold
"I dribbled a lot, but the final pass... The most important thing after dribbling is to create, and I played some good balls in front of the goal, but we have to score." This is how Doku expressed himself at the end of the match.
Criticism has targeted Alexander-Arnold in England: "He has played more than 300 matches in England, but he still defends as if he has never played as a right-back." These are the words of former player Roy Keane.
The statistics don't lie. In the Premier League, Alexander-Arnold is dribbled past 1.9 times per match and 1.2 in the Champions League.
Ancelotti Doesn't Want Him as a Full-Back
Ancelotti, however, doesn't change his opinion about the English international. He doesn't expect him to play as a full-back in his team.
For that, he already has Carvajal, Mendy, and Fran García. His position will be that of a defensive pivot, replacing Tchouaméni.
With the change, Real Madrid gains in terms of virtuosity. But the truth is that Tchouaméni's defensive performance is more reliable than Alexander-Arnold's. Ancelotti will have to do something to solve this problem.
He is another "playmaker" who will join Real Madrid. But it doesn't seem clear that Real Madrid is in need of this type of footballer and rather needs specialists in game destruction.