In what has been a slow start to life for Trent Alexander-Arnold at Real Madrid, the English right-back started his first game since August on Sunday evening as Xabi Alonso's Los Blancos – who are currently top, the singular point ahead of rivals Barcelona, of the Spanish top flight – visited Elche in La Liga. But how did the 27-year-old perform in the 2-2 draw?
In what was a shock to the system, 11th-placed Elche opened the scoring through Aleix Febas eight minutes after the teams emerged from their respective dressing rooms for the second half. Dean Huijsen, signed from Bournemouth in the summer, then levelled proceedings in the 78th minute before the hosts regained their one-goal lead.
It was substitute Alvaro Rodriguez – previously on the books of the Spanish behemoths after graduating from their academy ranks – who produced a superb finish from just outside the penalty area. The inevitable Jude Bellingham then popped up with an equaliser with three minutes of regulation time left and his compatriot, Alexander-Arnold, has received mixed reviews.
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Alexander-Arnold Verdict Dropped After First Start in Three Months
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In search of three points, the record winners of the Champions League opted for a three-at-the-back system at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero – with Huijsen, former Manchester United ace Alvaro Carreras and Raul Asencio in the middle. Alexander-Arnold operated on the right-hand side and Francisco Garcia was entrusted by Alonso and his entourage on the left.
Much of the attention, though, was the fact that former Liverpool man Alexander-Arnold had started his first match in Spain for three months. Statistically, he took 91 touches (just one inside the opposition box) and delivered a total of eight passes into the final third. Elsewhere, the right-back won just two of his seven ground duels (29%).
Trent Alexander-Arnold's 90-Minute Display vs Elche
Minutes
Touches
Total Shots
Accurate Passes
Passes into Final Third
Chances Created
Accurate Crosses
Accurate Long Balls
Ground Duels Won
And taking to X (formerly Twitter), a fan raises confusion over his comparisons to Reece James. "The worst debate I’ve ever seen on this app was who’s better between James and Trent. Like anyone that’s watched both of them play would know James was better yet you had some nasty, nasty disingenuous people trying to gaslight the masses."
"Horrible defending by Trent Alexander-Arnold," another wrote as they reacted to the 27-year-old Englishman's poor positioning for Elche's first of the encounter (which can be viewed below) as a third added: "Trent is getting absolutely cooked by some random La Liga players. Real Madrid fans called him the best RB in the world btw."
Although a fair few users of X (formerly Twitter) were clear in their opinion that Alexander-Arnold is not on the level of Chelsea captain James, others believe that his set-piece genius has transformed how Alonso's men – who have won 10 of their 13 La Liga matches this season – can hurt their opponents. "Trent on set pieces is a massive difference," one said.
"Trent MOTM man, an unbelievably ability to consistently get the ball into dangerous areas and quickly so, ground or air."
"Trent has really grown into the game and is delivering perfect crosses into the box!" one said. "What a game Trent is having," another wrote about the defender, who has played a total of 12 times since making the England-to-Spain switch in the summer. Yet to score for Alonso, he's registered two assists – both in the Club World Cup against Juventus and Borussia Dortmund.
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As things stand, seasoned right-back Dani Carvajal is out nursing an injury and that could be the perfect opportunity for Alexander-Arnold to stake his claim to be a regular starter for the table-topping side from the Spanish capital. Up next for the England international is a trip to Olympiacos in the Champions League before visiting Girona next weekend.
All statistics per FotMob – correct as of 23/11/2025