Spanish media has reacted to Trent Alexander-Arnold's latest Real Madrid display
Trent Alexander-Arnold of Real Madrid
Trent Alexander-Arnold has been criticised for his latest performance at Real Madrid(Image: Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press via Getty Images)
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Trent Alexander-Arnold has been slammed by Spanish media for his performance against Benfica on Wednesday night. Real Madrid progressed to the Champions League round of 16 after winning 3-1 on aggregate but the full-back’s contributions continue to be scrutinised.
The former Liverpool man started the return leg of Real’s play-off with Benfica as goals from Aurelien Tchouameni and Vinicius Junior secured a 2-1 home win. Alvaro Arbeloa’s side were forced to come from behind after Benfica’s Rafa Silva opened the scoring at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Spanish giants will now face either Manchester City or Sporting Lisbon in the next round ahead of the Champions League draw on Friday. However, the reaction to Alexander-Arnold’s latest display is another reminder that every aspect of his game will continue to come under the spotlight during his time at Real, even when the team are winning matches.
Sport
The Spanish publication rated his performance as five out of 10. Sport gave a scathing verdict of Alexander-Arnold, stating that “his marking is nonexistent”.
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The 27-year-old defender was up against Andreas Schjelderup on Benfica’s left flank and the outlet believed the Real star lost his individual battle. The report described him as being “repeatedly outplayed” by the winger.
Alexander-Arnold was credited with creating one chance that should have resulted in a goal. However, the report stated: “His ability to deliver good crosses and accurate passes doesn't compensate for his defensive fragility in demanding matches.”
AS
Alexander-Arnold received a more favourable review from AS. The ratings piece acknowledged that having the right-back in the side “changes the face of Real Madrid's attack, without a doubt”.
Trent Alexander-Arnold of Real Madrid
Alexander-Arnold played 90 minutes against Benfica(Image: Federico Titone/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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He was praised for his excellent passing and for delivering several crosses into the box. Like Sport, the outlet admitted Alexander-Arnold deserved an assist after setting up a chance for Fede Valverde.
However, AS also felt that the full-back “covered well” defensively. Summing up his performance, the report stated: “He continues to take steps forward.”
Marca
The publication chose to focus on Alexander-Arnold’s defensive work, rather than his attacking output. He was praised for making a “decisive interception” in the first half.
However, Marca partly blamed him for Benfica taking the lead. The report said: "He was largely inactive in the build-up to Rafa Silva's opening goal, who scored easily after a Courtois save.”
Mundo Deportivo
Mundo Deportivo appeared not to be overly impressed with Alexander-Arnold but were not heavily critical of the right-back. His defensive contributions were described as “fine, nothing special”:
However, unlike other reports, the outlet did not laud his creation of chances. Instead, the summary of his more attack-minded skills was simply “all crosses and more crosses”.