Trent Alexander-Arnold and Curtis Jones faced off as Real Madrid defeated Inter Milan 2-1 in the Champions League, with both former Liverpool players receiving media criticism
Trent Alexander-Arnold came in for scathing criticism
Trent Alexander-Arnold came in for scathing criticism(Image: Getty Images)
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Curtis Jones both found themselves in the firing line from Spanish and Italian media following their Champions League reunion.
The former Liverpool players faced off as Real Madrid edged a 2-1 victory over Inter Milan. Alexander-Arnold, keen to establish himself at the Bernabeu under Jose Mourinho, was selected in midfield, pitting him directly against Jones, who made the move to the Serie A champions over the summer.
Jones endured a torrid opening to the match, surrendering possession in the build-up to Kylian Mbappe handing Real an against-the-run-of-play lead. Jones could not be held entirely responsible, however, with Yann Aurel Bisseck also culpable for his sluggish response to the threat on the edge of the area.
The Football Italia website savagely labeled the incident a "brain f---," while Spanish outlet AS accused Jones of "falling asleep" when he lost possession.
Italian publication La Stampa was somewhat more charitable toward Jones, acknowledging the attacking menace he displayed, noting: "The Nerazzurri put in a strong first-half performance, coming close to scoring several times — through Jones and [Andy] Diouf — but were punished by two individual errors. A misunderstanding between Jones and Bisseck led to Mbappe's goal in the 14th minute."
Meanwhile, the Spanish media showed little sympathy for Alexander-Arnold, despite his deployment out of position.
Curtis Jones was at fault for Real Madrid's first goal
Curtis Jones was at fault for Real Madrid's first goal(Image: Getty Images)
Radio Marca commented: "The night was already off to a bad start because of that forced experiment, prompted by the yellow cards, of placing Trent Alexander-Arnold in a position where he contributed almost nothing.
"They thanked him and took a souvenir photo because he's unlikely to play as a midfielder again."
The Managing Madrid website awarded him a 5/10 and noted: "Being deployed in midfield wasn't his decision, and the role did him few favors.
"Nevertheless, he looked lost defensively and had little influence in possession."
Former Real Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart also took aim at Alexander-Arnold, declaring that he "does not enjoy watching" him. While analyzing a passage of play on Ziggo Sport, he remarked: "He's standing in front of the defense, which isn't his position.
"It looks like he's not fit or is suffering from something. Normally, these balls would be a piece of cake for him. I find him slow and making poor decisions on the ball. Just look at how he's shuffling along at the back here.
"It looks like he has a thumbtack in his shoe. He's limping a bit; every ball goes wrong.
"I think he's playing very poorly. I would substitute him. When they started cheering for a goal, it looked like he was tired. Alexander-Arnold really needed to catch his breath."