Steven Gerrard’s successor was not far off.
Liverpool won a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over West Ham United in the 33rd round of the English Premier League (EPL) in the 2022-23 season held at London Stadium in London, England at 3:45 am (Korean time) on the 27th. With this, Liverpool ran a three-game winning streak, and with 15 wins, 8 draws and 9 losses, they surpassed Tottenham and rose to 6th place.
The player 크크크벳,who laid the foundation for the come-from-behind victory on this day was Trent Alexander-Arnold. As soon as Arnold caught the ball in midfield in the 18th minute with Liverpool trailing 0-1, Arnold delivered a forward pass to Cody Gakpo that completely fooled the West Ham midfielder. Thanks to Arnold’s pass, Gakpo caught a shooting space in a wide space and succeeded in a nice mid-range shot.
The assist helped Arnold to record an assist in his last four games. Arnold, who has been criticized for being rather sluggish throughout this season, has been successful in rebounding as his tactical role has changed recently. Manager Jurgen Klopp has recently instructed Arnold to play like a midfielder in the center rather than attacking the flanks.
Arnold is a full-back, but he started to soar after taking on the role of an inverted full-back who plays in midfield. Based on his right foot kicking power and vision, which are his main specialties, he is instilling creativity in the midfield. Arnold’s passing ability also served as the starting point for Liverpool’s attack against West Ham this time.
After the game, English football legend Gary Lineker said, “Arnold is the best passer in the Premier League.” Director Klopp also expressed satisfaction, saying, “Arnold’s play was great. It was on a different level.”
Even when Liverpool won the European Football Federation (UEFA) Champions League (UCL) in the 2018-19 season and the EPL in the 2019-20 season, it has been pointed out that there is a lack of creativity in midfield. Jordan Henderson, Giorginio Wijnaldum, and James Milner, who were the main players at the time, were strong players in midfield fights, but they were not good at making forward passes or playmaking.
Liverpool attempted to solve their midfield creativity problem by signing Thiago Alcantara, regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world from Bayern Munich. Thiago was a good signing, but injuries were also a problem. Each time, fans insisted that Gerrard’s successor be recruited, but Klopp seems to have found Gerard’s successor through Arnold’s role change.