Trent Alexander-Arnold has endured a difficult start to life at Real Madrid following his move from Liverpool, with the right-back yet to complete 90 minutes for his new team
Trent Alexander-Arnold of Real Madrid warming up
Trent Alexander-Arnold has a fight on his hands(Image: Getty Images)
Trent Alexander-Arnold's Real Madrid career hasn't started as smoothly as expected, with opportunities in the first team seeming limited. The ex-Liverpool defender started on the bench during Los Blancos' victory over Oviedo on Sunday, just days after being substituted during his La Liga debut against Osasuna.
Initially, Alexander-Arnold was tipped to be the club's first-choice right-back, but he's since been playing second fiddle to club captain Dani Carvajal. While manager Xabi Alonso has emphasised that no starting positions are guaranteed, insiders suggest that the right-back slot is Carvajal's to lose.
This leaves Alexander-Arnold with a challenging task to jumpstart his career at Bernabeu. He may need to exercise patience and bide his time on the sidelines - although history tells us that might not sit well with him.
At the start of last season, Alexander-Arnold was substituted in each of Liverpool's first three Premier League matches. Video footage of him looking visibly frustrated on the bench after being replaced for the second week in a row quickly made the rounds, leading manager Arne Slot to walk over and explain his decision.
The Dutchman later expressed understanding of Alexander-Arnold's dissatisfaction and suggested, similar to Alonso recently, that squad rotation and fitness preservation were the reasons behind his team selection.
"Every player wants to play 90 minutes. But I don't think the players that were on the bench from the start were really happy with the choice I made," Slot said in August 2024. "Trent came back from the national team where in the beginning of the tournament he played quite a lot, then he didn't.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent Alexander-Arnold looked unhappy after being substituted by Arne Slot last season
"He had a few weeks off, came back, this is only his third game. We have to take care of him, because we need him for the whole season and not just the first two games... so we are taking care of Trent."
Back then, questions had surfaced regarding Alexander-Arnold's suitability within Slot's tactical framework, with backup Conor Bradley pushing to claim his spot. However, the England star fought back, re-establishing his position and eventually becoming instrumental as Liverpool charged towards the Premier League crown.
He'll undoubtedly be hoping for a comparable revival in Madrid. With Carvajal's contract expiring at the end of the season, the battle for starting berths might ease somewhat going forward - though his performances must show marked improvement if he's to persuade Alonso of his value.
Xabi Alonso and Trent Alexander-Arnold
Alexander-Arnold appears to be Real Madrid's second-choice right back as things stand
(Image: Getty Images)
Whilst his technical prowess on the ball remains unquestionable, concerns linger regarding his defensive contributions off it - and he'll probably need to address these weaknesses to cement his status as a regular starter. At Liverpool, being a homegrown academy graduate helped supporters look past his defensive shortcomings. Real Madrid fans, though, are unlikely to show such patience.
"It depends on what we need in terms of the game, the workload and the opposition," Alonso told reporters when asked about his decision to drop Alexander-Arnold at the weekend.
"I haven't made a decision for the next month. I'm going to see how we recover and to make sure that people feel important and ready to start, come off the bench or be able to be in the next game.
"This is important for the stability of the team's performance... We have twenty-odd players in the squad and I'm going to try to get the best out of all of them. Sometimes you can have a few minutes and be important."