BBC

'He will bounce back' - Alexander-Arnold impresses on Real return

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Image source, Getty Images

Emlyn Begley

BBC Sport journalist

Trent Alexander-Arnold was back in the Real Madrid team at the end of a week that did not go to plan - and impressed in Saturday's comeback win over Mallorca.



The former Liverpool right-back was dropped to the bench for last weekend's win over Real Oviedo - and was then left out of Thomas Tuchel's England squad on Friday.



But he was involved in some big moments in Saturday's 2-1 win at the Bernabeu.

BBC Sport looks at how he did, why he was dropped last week and why he might be dropped again.

Image source, Opta

Alexander-Arnold, as he did hundreds of times for Liverpool, started on the right side of a back four but did not play as an orthodox right-back.

The 26-year-old often played quite central - and in attacking positions - in an inverted role at the Bernabeu.

At 0-0 he found Kylian Mbappe with a brilliant 50-yard ball forward from his own half, and the French forward found the net.



The goal was disallowed for offside, but it should not take away from how good Alexander-Arnold's ball was to pick his team-mate out nearly half a pitch away.

He then crossed for Mbappe again, and the forward was denied by the goalkeeper.

He went close to a goal himself, with his drive from the edge of the box going just wide.

Alexander-Arnold was not involved in either goal but helped keep his team ahead after they came back from 1-0 down.

Sergi Darder cut the ball back from the byeline and Mateo Joseph seemed to have an open goal only for Alexander-Arnold to slide in and deny him inside the six-yard box.

His 72 touches were more than anybody else on the pitch when he was replaced by Dani Carvajal with 18 minutes to go.

He entered the final third nine times - with only one Madrid player doing so more times - although he also lost the ball 14 times.

Alexander-Arnold might find himself in and out of the team a bit at the start of the season.

While there were so many headlines around his move from Liverpool in the summer, it might have been easy to forget who Madrid's existing right-back was.

It is six-time Champions League winner, four-time La Liga winner, Euro 2024 champion Carvajal - who finished fourth in the Ballon d'Or award last season.

Carvajal, 33, had recovered quicker than expected from a serious knee injury sustained last October.

But after starting against Oviedo, Alexander-Arnold was back in the starting line-up this weekend.

After that Oviedo game, boss Xabi Alonso said of his team selection: "It depends on what we need in terms of the game, the workload and the opposition."

Carvajal is a more traditional right-back - and there is every chance he will start games if Alonso thinks he needs a better defender in there.

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

"It won't be an issue for him.



"The right centre-back will know he's not defensively the greatest so he might come over and help him out more.



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



"I hope he hears this because he's the type of guy who loves a challenge.



"I am sure he has heard the doubts, and how some people enjoyed that he has been criticised.