Arne Slot believes '100% focus' is key for 'so special' Trent Alexander-Arnold to improve further at Liverpool
Published 24/09/2024 at 15:53 GMT+1
Liverpool have made a strong start to the season under new manager Arne Slot, with four clean sheets in five Premier League matches. Slot has spoken about Trent Alexander-Arnold's qualities and how he thinks the "special" defender can get even better. Slot has also looked ahead to Liverpool's midweek League Cup clash against West Ham United, who have had a difficult start under Julen Lopetegui.
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Arne Slot believes “100% focus” is the key to improvement for Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, who he called “so special”.
Alexander-Arnold has made a strong start to the season amid uncertainty over his future at the club, with his current deal set to expire next summer.
The England international recently revealed that he wants to be the “defender that no-one wants to come up against in Europe” and has agreed with Slot that the manager can be “harsh” in a bid to help him achieve that goal.
Speaking about Alexander-Arnold’s qualities ahead of Liverpool’s midweek League Cup clash with West Ham United, new Liverpool boss Slot said: “It’s difficult for me to judge how it has been in the years before.
“But the only thing I know is we are talking about a player that won the Champions League and the league title so it’s clear to me that he has been a good defender all his life.
“But because he is so special with the ball, the main emphasis goes on him doing special things with the ball.
“I think with him it is not about if he is capable of doing things, it’s more can his concentration rate constantly be in 100% focus? So this is what we talk about a lot, that he has to stay active in every situation of the game, even if the ball is further away from him.
“But it’s not that we or I taught him to defend in the last three months; he’s won the league and he’s won the Champions League. It’s just getting him to understand all of what is necessary to play the best possible game.”
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Liverpool have kept four clean sheets in five Premier League games this season.
However, Slot acknowledges the Reds have not had the toughest schedule out of the gate and their defence could be tested more in the weeks ahead.
“The defence has been really good, although I think in the last game we needed our goalkeeper too many times to keep the clean sheet,” the Dutchman said.
“Yesterday I looked at the league table and [thought]: ‘Okay, which teams did we face until now and which position are they? Are they in the top half or the bottom?’ I think all of them are in the bottom half of the table, so you have to take that into account.”
West Ham have had a difficult start to the season under new manager Julen Lopetegui, winning two of six games across all competitions.
”They faced some strong opponents,” says Slot about the Hammers. ”I saw during their games that they have very good spells as well, sometimes were a bit unlucky with the result.
”A lot of good players, brought in a lot of players in the summer window that haven’t been implemented yet but maybe there is a chance for them tomorrow to start.
”They will come back stronger because of all the quality they already had last season and which they brought in. They have a good manager as well.
”Hopefully it’s going to take them a few days extra! But they will come back stronger than they have started the season.”
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