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Arne Slot has revealed why Trent Alexander-Arnold was substituted in Liverpool's clash against Brentford in the Premier League. The match ended in a 2-0 win for the Reds on Sunday at Anfield.
Luis Díaz opened the scoring for Liverpool with an assist by Diogo Jota in just 13 minutes. Mohamed Salah doubled the score from an assist by Díaz in the 70th minute.
Alexander-Arnold was replaced by Conor Bradley in the 72nd minute. Slot explained his decision to substitute the 25-year-old Englishman (via GOAL):
"I understand. 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."
"Trent came back from the national team, where in the beginning of the tournament he played quite a lot and then he didn’t. He had a few weeks off, came back and it is only his third game and we have to take care of him. We need him for the whole season and not only for the first two games. The good thing for me is that I have a very good backup as well with Conor, that means we are taking care of Trent, but he played a good game," the Dutch manager added.
Following the victory against Brentford, Arne Slot became the first Liverpool manager to win their opening two league fixtures since Graeme Souness in April 1991.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot explains why he placed Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back instead of midfield
Liverpool boss Arne Slot put Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back instead of placing him in midfield, where the Englishman has been seen on multiple occasions for club and county.
The Reds head coach explained his decision about Alexander-Arnold's positioning.
"I think Trent has many qualities, and one of them is the crosses from the side," Slot said (h/t GOAL). "If we only play him in the midfield he can only pass the ball, which he can of course do quite well. But I also want him in dangerous crossing positions."
"We try to influence players as much as we can before the game to say where could open gaps for you to come in. Nine times out of 10 the teams do something different than against other teams. He has the freedom to go anywhere. Trent is a difficult one to play against."
Liverpool will face Manchester United in their next Premier League fixture on September 1 at Old Trafford.
