Jose Mourinho explained his decision to introduce Trent Alexander-Arnold from the bench after Real Madrid was beaten in La Liga this weekend thanks to a late Troy Parrott goal
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jose Mourinho.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jose Mourinho.(Image: Getty Images)
Jose Mourinho says Trent Alexander-Arnold is well-suited to playing alongside former Liverpool transfer target Yan Diomande, with the Portuguese viewing them as a pair in his Real Madrid plans.
On Friday, as Liverpool beat Ipswich, Real Madrid was defeated by Real Betis in La Liga. Alexander-Arnold and Diomande were introduced together for the final third of the game, but rather than finding the breakthrough, Los Blancos lost to a Troy Parrott goal in the 81st minute.
"The team has always been good," Mourinho is quoted as saying by AS. "I haven't seen the stats, but we created a lot. We missed three or four clear chances and their goalkeeper made three or four impressive saves.
"I didn't make changes because I wasn't happy; they were to take off the players who had been booked. It's better to play with Trent and Yan Diomande than with Denzel Dumfries."
Alexander-Arnold has been in and out of the Real Madrid under Alexander-Arnold so far under Mourinho, with Dumfries arriving from Inter Milan to replace Dani Carvajal as his competition at right-back.
"I still watch every [Liverpool] game," he told the Daily Mirror last month, fueling speculation that he was attempting to engineer a return in the future.
Trent Alexander-Arnold of Real Madrid CF looks on during the Real Madrid training session held in collaboration with CD Leganes
Trent Alexander-Arnold discussed Liverpool in an interview(Image: (Photo By Dennis Agyeman/Europa Press via Getty Images))
"I support them. I want to see them do well. I enjoy watching them, and there will always be a place in my heart for Liverpool, no matter what.
"It is home to me. It’s the place that gave me the opportunities to go and do what I’ve done, and I will always love it. It’s always a place that I’ll call home."
"The booing and disappointment from Liverpool supporters is something I’m absolutely able to shoulder," Alexander-Arnold also admitted in the interview.
"I can understand it, in my own way. I heard a lot during that period that Liverpool fans didn’t want to be told how to feel or think, and I agree.
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"But I hope one day there’ll be a degree of understanding about the decisions I wanted to make around my own life.
"It hurts because of how much I’ve put into the club over the course of 20 years and the sacrifices I made for the club during that period. So of course it hurts, but I understand the disappointment. I even understand anger expressed through booing."
Real Madrid was not the only big team in La Liga to lose this weekend. Atletico Madrid also warmed up for its Champions League clash against Liverpool next week with a 3-0 hammering against Athletic Club.