Alexander-Arnold not to blame for goals conceded – Slot

Liverpool manager Arne Slot acknowledges that he sees recurring patterns in the goals his team concedes, but he insists they are not attributable to right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Alexander-Arnold faced heavy criticism after Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw by Manchester United on Sunday.

United’s first goal came from Lisandro Martinez, who scored after an attack down Liverpool’s right side, and their second goal was converted by Amad Diallo from a cross on the right.

According to football data specialists Opta, Liverpool’s opponents are making 44% of their attacking touches in the left third of the pitch, which corresponds to Liverpool’s right-hand side – the highest ratio in the Premier League.

The percentage of opposition chances from Liverpool’s right side is 35.7%, while 38.1% come from the central third and 26.2% from the Reds’ left side.

“I do see a certain pattern in the goals we concede but I don’t see the pattern if it is about Trent. Not at all,” said Slot.

“Trent has had one difficult game for us [in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United at Anfield] and maybe a few that were OK to good. Mainly, he has had great games when he played for us this season.”

Alexander-Arnold, who is out of contract in the summer and has been linked with a move to Real Madrid, came on as a substitute after an hour in the first leg of Liverpool’s Carabao Cup semi-final at Tottenham.

The England international had a shot cleared off the line in a game the Reds lost 1-0.

“I know there is a lot of focus on him at the moment but I would also like to highlight the focus on how well he did when he came on in the last half hour [against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday] and how our fans reacted to him. That is what pleased me even more during that game.”

Liverpool host Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup third round on Saturday (12:15 GMT) and, while Slot is expected to rotate his squad for the game, he knows his team will have to be prepared for the challenge of facing the League Two side.

“I think every team that plays against us, it is a special occasion but especially for a lower league team,” said the Dutchman.

“They will be up for it, they have looked forward to this game for many weeks.

“If you go to a Champions League final, everyone is completely hyped up and ready and, for them, that will feel like it is the Champions League final, so we have to be aware of that.

“It’s up to us to be ready for them wanting to play the best game of their lives and that is what we have to do as well.”