The Liverpool absence no-one can ignore - especially Mohamed Salah

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It is six months since Trent Alexander-Arnold, who made his Premier League debut for Liverpool on this day in 2016, left for Real MadridRarely has revisionism been used as a coping mechanism quite as much as with Liverpool supporters dealing with the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid this summer.A transfer that became increasingly inevitable the longer the right-back declined the invitation to sign a new contract last season was eventually confirmed shortly after the Reds had sealed the Premier League title during Arne Slot’s first season in charge.The immediate reaction from Reds fans was, to put it mildly, somewhat mixed.The next home game against beaten title challengers Arsenal saw a significant number in the Anfield crowd aim their anger towards Alexander-Arnold, which in turn prompted ire from those who didn’t believe the defender deserved such abuse.The atmosphere was strangely ugly for a fanbase supposed to be celebrating a record-equalling 20th title.With the air eventually cleared, the homegrown Academy graduate was afforded a huge ovation when the championship trophy was finally lifted on the final day of the season against Crystal Palace in Alexander-Arnold’s 354th and last appearance for the club.The pain of the defender’s exit was somewhat eased by the knowledge Liverpool were able to negotiate a deal worth £10m for Real Madrid to ensure a player who would have left for nothing a month later was able to sign in time for the much-derided FIFA Club World Cup.But before Alexander-Arnold had departed, so the rewriting of history had started. And the anniversary of Alexander-Arnold’s Premier League debut – coming on for the last few seconds of the 3-0 win at Middlesbrough nine years ago today – arrives with Slot still striving to find the right formula to replace the influence and impact of Alexander-Arnold.The £116million signing of Florian Wirtz is one part of the solution, the Reds boss explaining before the start of the season he expects the Germany international to offer the same creativity as Alexander-Arnold but from elsewhere in the team.“Florian has a lot of creativity in the final third and we have lost with Trent a lot of creativity from the back,” said Slot.“Trent's crosses and picking out runners was so special – Flo has this quality in a totally different position.

He brings that creativity.”Wirtz, though, has understandably taken time to settle in his new surrounds, not helped by Liverpool’s collective unconvincing displays and struggled to find a settled formation so far this campaign.Set-pieces were a forte of Alexander-Arnold, and some of Slot’s disgruntlement at his team being able to capitalise more on dead-ball situations will have been founded on not being able to count on the 27-year-old’s undoubted quality of delivery in such positions.Then there have been the issues with determining Alexander-Arnold’s direct replacement at right-back.Jeremie Frimpong was brought in for £29millon but has suffered two hamstring injuries and hasn’t started a Premier League game since the season opener at home to Bournemouth.Conor Bradley missed a chunk of pre-season and has subsequently been striving to regain full sharpness, but hasn’t been helped by his own fitness worries and a regular stream of bookings that has seen him replaced early in too many games and ultimately suspended for this weekend’s visit of Brighton & Hove Albion.Joe Gomez, who has had his own injury concerns, has stepped up of late before suffering a potential new setback in the win over Brighton, but it says much that Dominik Szoboszlai’s brief period out of position during the opening weeks remains the most impressive spell by any Liverpool player at right-back this season.Clearly, immediate life after Alexander-Arnold hasn’t been easy. “But there’s no Trent Alexander-Arnold feeding him those balls any more – the dynamic has changed.

“Mo Salah's missing Trent,” he said. I believe this understanding is crucial.”Of course, Salah’s own travails became a complete separate problem for Slot last week when, having been benched for the previous three games, the Egyptian suggested his past glories should be sufficient to start regardless of current form, and that he was being scapegoated for Liverpool’s woes this season.Certainly, the Reds are very much coming towards stepping completely away from Klopp’s first great Liverpool team.And Owen also knows a thing or two about Alexander-Arnold’s situation having made the move from Anfield to the Bernabeu back in August 2004.“I said at the time it’s purely personal preference for Trent Alexander-Arnold to go to Real Madrid – there’s no wrong answer,” he said.“Staying at Liverpool forever as a club legend would’ve been amazing, but after winning everything, you might feel you want a new life experience.“New country, new food, new team-mates, that white shirt, that stadium – it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.