Much was made of Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s highly-anticipated return to Anfield for Liverpool’s 1-0 victory over Real Madrid on Tuesday night. The right-sided defender, who played 354 times for the Reds after breaking through into first-team proceedings, was subject to a chorus of boos as he replaced Arda Guler in the 81st minute of the affair – and Jamie Carragher has offered his insight on the situation.
Alexis Mac Allister nodded home past an imperious Thibaut Courtois, who made an eye-catching eight saves against Arne Slot‘s side, just after the hour mark to open and close the scoring inside a raucous Anfield. The visitors, however, recorded their first match of the campaign without getting on the scoresheet.
Alexander-Arnold’s clubmate and compatriot, Jude Bellingham, claimed the Liverpool fans are still appreciative of what the right-back provided them over the years. “I think it is more to give their team the edge and throw him off a little bit. I am sure they’re appreciative of what he has done for the club. It is one of those things,” he said, but Carragher’s claim has also caught the attention of fans.
Watch the highlights from Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Real Madrid below:
Carragher’s Take on Alexander-Arnold Being Booed as he Rubbishes Schmeichel’s Claim
Before the match, Peter Schmeichel, who played on both sides of the Manchester rivalry during his trophy-laden goalkeeping career, brandished the Anfield faithful’s response as “annoying” and “disgusting in a way” – but that was not the opinion of Liverpudlian Carragher. “I don’t agree with what you’ve said there,” the defender-turned-pundit said, per Liverpool Echo.
“I think the supporters decide what type of reception he gets and the reason why the reception will be poor tonight, which I would expect, is because Trent throughout those 20 years, as I’ve said, has played the position of ‘I’m a supporter on the pitch’. So them supporters who are all in the stadium wouldn’t leave on a free transfer to go play for Real Madrid.
“Now, okay, it’s his career, he gets one career, he’s a young man, he’s been brilliantly successful at the club. But what he’s said since he’s got in the team, if that were to be true, and Liverpool is the only team for him and he wants to be their captain, he wants to be a legend here… You don’t leave when you’ve just won the league title and you’ve got the opportunity to go win more trophies with your club.”
“And then you join a club who’s beat you twice in a Champions League final and they’re the club you want to compete for to maybe win more Champions League finals,” Carragher continued before adding, “So, I totally understand the reaction of the supporters. And a lot of it is because they feel like they have been hoodwinked a little bit by Trent throughout the process of him being at the club.”
Carragher – widely regarded as one of the best centre-backs in the history of the Premier League – referenced how well Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah handled their respective situations in the summer. Concerns grew that neither player would extend their spells on the red half of Merseyside. But they did, and Alexander-Arnold didn’t as he moved to Spain from his boyhood club.
“And also in the last year, where he hasn’t done any media interviews, he’s not got involved in anything where there was talk around obviously him, [Mohamed] Salah and [Virgil] van Dijk. Salah and Van Dijk were coming out constantly in the press saying they wanted to stay. Trent was very silent on the issue – and that’s where the frustration comes for the supporters.”
Carragher: ‘I Know What Trent Is Going Through’
Although Carragher believes the Liverpool fans are well within their rights to boo in frustration, he also acknowledged Alexander-Arnold’s side of the story. Quizzed on whether he was surprised by the response the 27-year-old received, he said: “No, I wasn’t surprised and I don’t think Trent would’ve been surprised if I’m being totally honest. There’s obviously a lot of strong feeling inside the city.
“The feeling is a lot stronger because he’s a local boy. I was a local boy playing for Liverpool and living in the city. We live and breathe football every single day. It’s what keeps the city going. A local player for Liverpool has to embody those supporters,” he continued when speaking to CBS Sports.
“I know what Trent is going through and the sort of the difficulties you can have at different times as a local player. But leaving Liverpool isn’t easy.”
Alexander-Arnold, although Liverpool received €10 million so that he could play in the Club World Cup, ultimately moved to the Spanish capital on a free transfer – and that left a sour taste in the mouths of those who have supported him wholeheartedly from his academy days to when he was a nailed-on starter under Jurgen Klopp and Slot. At the time of writing, he has racked up 11 appearances for Xabi Alonso’s side but is yet to cement the starting berth as his own.
