Archive November 3, 2025

Trent Alexander-Arnold returns to Liverpool for the first time since moving to Real Madrid on Tuesday, when he will discover if absence has made Anfield hearts grow fonder after the outpouring of ill-feeling that accompanied his decision to leave his boyhood club.

Alexander-Arnold fuelled anger among many Liverpool fans by announcing he was leaving at the end of his contract last summer, with supporters making their fury clear by booing him when he emerged as a substitute in the draw with Arsenal in May.

This was despite the 27-year-old – celebrated in song by the Kop as “the Scouser in our team” – having already played a pivotal role in bringing the Premier League title back to Liverpool.

He is in line to play for Real Madrid in the Champions League match after recovering from the hamstring injury that interrupted his start at the Bernabeu.

The smart money is on a mixed reception – with a section of Liverpool fans unlikely to forgive or forget the manner of his departure, initially on a free transfer, although Real later agreed a reported £8.4m fee to accelerate his arrival so he could play in the Club World Cup.

Feelings had cooled when Alexander-Arnold again came on as a substitute for Liverpool’s final home game against Crystal Palace, when the trophy was presented to captain Virgil van Dijk by legendary former Liverpool defender Alan Hansen.

The warmer response was, perhaps, a reaction to public admonishment from former manager Jurgen Klopp, who was angered by Alexander-Arnold’s vitriolic treatment from fans who previously idolised him.

Former Liverpool and England defender Stephen Warnock accepts Alexander-Arnold may not receive a rapturous welcome, telling BBC Sport: “I know local fans will say he was a Liverpool fan in a great Liverpool team, but sometimes players want something else. I respect that.

“I really hope he gets a good reception. I think he’ll want to put on a show, demonstrate why he’s such a talent, why Liverpool’s fans loved him so much.”

Warnock added: “I think the reception will be mixed. I don’t think he will be expecting a standing ovation after the way things went, and we have to respect those opinions as well.

“I don’t think he deserves a mixed reception. He was an incredible servant to the club, but wanted to challenge himself.

The Alexander-Arnold-shaped hole in Liverpool’s team is one of the conundrums facing head coach Arne Slot as the near-£450m summer refit of his title-winning squad has struggled to gel, although Saturday’s 2-0 win against Aston Villa stopped the rot after six defeats in seven games, including four straight league losses.

Alexander-Arnold’s absence, however, has had an impact on all areas of Liverpool’s team, particularly Mohamed Salah’s influence.

Salah has struggled to hit his usual heights, although he scored his 250th Liverpool goal in the win over Villa.

It has trained the microscope on his previously potent partnership with Alexander-Arnold, a rich seam of goals and creation as Liverpool swept up their trophy haul under Klopp then Slot.

Alexander-Arnold’s world-class range of passing created space and opportunities for Salah, with opponents living in fear not only of what he might do himself, but also what he could unlock for the Egyptian.

Warnock said: “There is a great player in Conor Bradley, but he needs to stay fit and get a run of games to build up a relationship with Salah. These things can take time, even with the best players.

“Trent leaving has had an impact on Salah. Their partnership, if not exactly unnoticed, was almost taken as read. Yes, they are world-class individuals, but it was also a partnership.

“They really complemented each other. Trent could go inside, draw people towards him, which freed up more space for Salah. And when Salah drove at people he had the ability to feed Trent because teams were backing off.”

Alexander-Arnold’s comfort in possession with his fellow defenders, plus the ability to move into midfield, means his presence is also sorely missed elsewhere.

Warnock said: “I think Ibrahima Konate probably misses him as well. He knew he could give Trent the ball under pressure. I think it is having an impact on the right-hand side of the pitch, both in defence and attack.

“Liverpool also created a box system in the centre of midfield, which they did so well, when Trent was in the side.

“There was a lot of praise given to Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, but Trent was a big part of that as well. Losing that extra body in the midfield area, when he was in there, is also missed because opponents were drawn to him, fearful of what he could create.”

Jeremie Frimpong, signed in a £29m deal from Bayer Leverkusen to compete with Bradley for the place vacated by Alexander-Arnold, has had his Anfield start curtailed by hamstring injuries.

As Liverpool’s title defence stalled before beating Villa, Alexander-Arnold’s ability to unlock defences may have aided them as, by Slot’s own admission, they have struggled against teams who defend deep and use long balls.

Warnock believes Liverpool are missing a creative source that can be placed in the same bracket as one of the Premier League greats, former Manchester City star Kevin de Bruyne.

He said: “Trent was a right-back, but effectively he was a midfielder [in] that position.

“I liken him to De Bruyne. I know they were different positions, but the way they pass the ball, the way they put fear into defenders with their ability to cross a ball or deliver a pass, is just incredible.”

Warnock added: “When Trent was at Liverpool, teams would back off. He was hitting balls over the top, trying to find killer passes. Even if he was a fraction off, the opposition were thinking ‘if he gets one of these right we’re in big trouble’.

“They drop deeper, then he was firing balls into Mac Allister on the half-turn, Szoboszlai, or last season Luis Diaz. He may not find that killer ball every time, but he strikes fear into defences, the fear that he will eventually get one right, which he so often did.

“I actually think this was the idea of bringing Florian Wirtz in, to open up defences.

If Sunderland beat Everton on Monday they will move from seventh to second in the Premier League – five points behind leaders Arsenal.

With 10 games gone, more attention is paid to the standings and it’s fair to say that at the start of the season few pundits would have had the Black Cats hovering around the Champions League places.

So, how has the unassuming Regis Le Bris and his overhauled Sunderland side managed to be the surprise package so far this season?

Le Bris’ tactical variety is evident in Sunderland’s out of possession play this season. Although they have been difficult to break down defensively, this hasn’t only been by defending deep.

Sunderland tend to begin aggressively. Le Bris instructs his players to press high, often in a man-to-man fashion and Sunderland’s ability to execute this has been impressive.

Newly promoted teams are reluctant to defend in this way because getting it wrong leaves your side more exposed, with individuals needing to cover larger distances alone. With the speed of the Premier League, Sunderland’s decision to adopt this approach following promotion is brave but has paid off for them.

In their 2-1 win at Chelsea on 25 October, their man-to-man high press forced their hosts back. The press often aimed to force Chelsea towards their left given they lacked a left footer in central defence. This reduced the success of the Blues’ build-up play from the back.

This pressure is occasionally bypassed. When Sunderland are pushed deeper, they then take a mostly zonal approach to defending, commonly blocking space in a 4-4-2 shape. Against Chelsea and later on against Manchester United, they blocked space using a back five, reinforcing their ability to adapt.

Their deeper defensive shape is incredibly strong too and being able to have the same 11 players do both approaches in the same game to a high level poses lots of problems for opponents.

In their deeper defensive shape, Le Bris’ men aren’t solely zonal defenders and do apply pressure to individual opponents near them, reducing the time they have on the ball.

In possession, Le Bris mostly opts for a positional style of play, meaning he wants his team to occupy certain zones on the pitch. Different players can rotate to occupy these spaces but generally the same spaces have a player within them.

From the goalkeeper, Sunderland often build-up from the back, using the quality of their defenders and midfielders to help them get up the pitch. They typically do this by spreading their back four wide with the keeper standing between both central defenders before Granit Xhaka and Noah Sadiki dart deep showing for the ball from central midfield positions.

Once Sunderland have established possession, they then look to break teams down. The central midfielders mentioned can drop into the defensive line to get on the ball with more time and space, which is a smart use of their skillset.

With more time on the ball, Xhaka is able to dictate play from deep, often playing inch-perfect switches of play to the wingers, getting them in one-on-one situations.

It is worth mentioning centre-back Omar Alderete, who played for Getafe last season. During that campaign he was the most ‘incisive’ passer when compared with all central defenders with more than 15 games played. He ranked first for the percentage of recoveries he turned into progressive passes.

In the final third, most of their play is centred around getting into good crossing positions in the wide areas. The full-backs are vital to this either through overlapping the winger, putting in crosses themselves, or underlapping and acting as support for the winger.

Xhaka again smartly moves towards the flank with both the full-back and winger and is usually positioned well to cross it in first-time following a lay-off.

These triangles ensure Sunderland have a dangerous threat out wide and rotations between these players make their threat less predictable.

From winning positions, we know that Sunderland press less and block space deeper. When this happens they look to play long. They’re able to sit in the defensive shape for large parts of games because they have individuals who are able to carry the ball up the pitch, relieving pressure on the defence. They can also progress the ball through long passing up to the strikers.

For the sake of this article, out of possession and in possession phases of play are separate sections but Le Bris’ has said he wants to “link the phases” of his system – having his players see the system as a whole rather than individual parts.

When Sunderland have the ball, they are conscious of how they will defend and have players behind the ball ready to cover if they are to lose the ball. When they play direct, the team looks to move up together reducing spaces between defence, midfield and attack, again to ensure they are better prepared defensively.

What is clear in this analysis is that Sunderland are both balanced and well-drilled. They have solutions to numerous problems and move between these set-ups fairly seamlessly, whether that be defending with a back four or five, whether that means pressing high or defending deep, and whether that means playing slowly and with possession or attacking directly.