Why Liverpool are feeling the effects of Trent-shaped gap this season

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Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Liverpool have been missing Alexander-Arnold's ability on the ball this seasonAfter winning the Premier League fairly comfortably last season, Liverpool reinforced their squad with some of Europe's most impressive talent.Arne Slot's Reds spent about £416.2m on summer signings, the most spent by any club in a window, bringing the likes of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike to Anfield.But, despite sitting third in the table, Liverpool have lost three matches in a row in all competitions and host Manchester United on Sunday with a few questions being asked about them.New signings need time to gel but the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid may have had a larger impact on Liverpool's squad as a whole than first thought.Despite being questioned for his defensive ability at times, the 27-year-old scored 18 goals and contributed 64 assists in his time at the club - but his absence is being felt for less obvious reasons.Here we analyse what Liverpool are missing this season in Alexander-Arnold's absence.Reds struggling against high defensive blockThe Premier League is home to some of the best executed defensive set-ups in the world whether that is in the form of physical high-presses or stubborn and compact blocks.Bypassing a high press can be done in two ways: by playing through the pressure or by going long and playing over the pressure.Against a good press or a higher defensive block, Liverpool have struggled to get the ball up the pitch as effectively as they did last season.This can partly be explained by Alexander-Arnold's on-ball quality and using an example against Spurs last season helps illustrate the point.Image source, BBC SportImage caption, Alexander-Arnold's ability to play with his weak foot was a huge asset to LiverpoolThroughout the game, Spurs applied a high press looking to win the ball early. The right-back's body was angled in field and, with Son Heung-min closing Alexander-Arnold down quickly, access to players in the wide areas was cut off.A massively underrated part of Trent's game, and one that Liverpool miss greatly, is his ability to play with his weak foot.

One way in which Liverpool have done this has been in using Wirtz deeper.The German midfielder's biggest strengths lie in the final third but given his excellent technical quality, particularly his passing, Wirtz is dropping deeper in order to get on the ball, before helping bring it up the pitch.For Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen, Wirtz would often stand on the left flank waiting for the ball to be brought up the pitch by team-mates before getting involved. Comparing where he's receiving passes this season to last season highlights a stark difference.In the short term this is a sensible solution given Wirtz's qualities and Liverpool's weaknesses but it fails to maximise Wirtz's individual attacking game.Image source, BBC SportImage caption, Florian Wirtz is dropping deeper in order to get on the ball, before helping bring it up the pitch.Long build-up and switches of playAside from short build-up and technical quality, long passes and switches are tools teams need to bypass a press or to disrupt the shape of the opposition's defensive block.Liverpool played 3.4 switches of play per 90 minutes last season and this is down to 1.3 per 90 minutes this season.

In the league this season, Bradley and Frimpong by comparison have only played 3.7 and 1.1 long passes per 90 minutes with a 16.1% and 0% pass accuracy respectively.Image source, BBC SportImage caption, Virgil van Dijk is still playing long, direct switches of play when Liverpool's opponents aren't yet in a set defensive shapeSalah playing with back to goalThe players at a coach's disposal dictate what tactics become viable and, without Alexander-Arnold, skipping short build-up to find Liverpool's quick attackers in space is less of a possibility.Isak and Salah are both players who thrive when attacking at speed, facing defenders, in space. His options become more limited and he tends to pass it back when this scenario arises.Image source, BBC SportHow can United take advantage?Slot's men face Ruben Amorim's Manchester United and if United are to get anything from the game, they will need to look to take advantage of some of Liverpool's recent frailties.Amorim has on occasion asked his team to defend in a 5-4-1 shape out of possession, moving away from his normal 5-2-3 and, if chosen, this alternative approach is likely to pose Liverpool more questions.By defending deeper and blocking the centre of the pitch well, a larger percentage of the possession for Liverpool will be with the central defenders who are less apt in breaking down a stubborn shape.