After Trent Alexander-Arnold made his Real Madrid debut during Los Blancos’ opening match against Al Hilal on Wednesday night in the FIFA Club World Cup, the Spanish media have made their opinions known. After winning everything with his previous employers, Liverpool, the right-back, who is regarded as the greatest in his position, finally donned the iconic white and gold shirt.
Real Madrid only managed a point against their Saudi Arabian opponents in what was also Xabi Alonso’s first game as manager since joining from Bayer Leverkusen. Ruben Neves tied the score just before halftime with a penalty kick, and young Gonzalo Garcia scored just past the half hour mark.
But a lot of eyes would have been on Trent’s performance, and Liverpool supporters might have been a little anxious about whether he would be a part of a prosperous new era at the Bernabeu or if his alleged defensive shortcomings would bring him crashing back to earth after the Madrid hierarchy paid £10 million to acquire him before his contract expired.
Spanish Media Cast Verdict On Trent Alexander-Arnold
It was a bad first day at the office for the Englishman
Some Spanish media sites had doubts about Trent’s coming even before his debut. AS referred to the signing as a “risky” choice and stated that he would be “subjected to a challenge that will test his true worth.” Even while they admitted that he had come to Spain in his “physical prime,” many of their concerns appeared to be well-founded at Hard Rock Stadium.
He recorded one interception, made two clearances, and blocked a shot during his 65-minute cameo. However, the impatient Spanish press criticized him when he lost possession 12 times, won just one of his four ground duels, and made only one of his five cross efforts. See the highlights of his entire match below:
Trent appeared to be in a trance at several moments throughout his debut, and the reporters who were supposed to evaluate his performance weren’t particularly understanding. Football Espana gave him a mere 5/10 for the match, writing:
Prior to his debut, Trent Alexander-Arnold was the subject of a lot of discussion, but it was a lackluster one. He struggled to contribute to the offensive before being replaced, and his defensive play was subpar.
Marca wrote: “Trying to get more into the game,” in response to Alexander-Arnold’s performance in the first half. In an attempt to locate Vinicius, he went too far. The motion ended with Al Hilal scoring offside because he was weak in a duel. Marca also drew attention to a defensive blunder just after the hour mark in their live blog post, saying, “I don’t know how you saw it on TV, but Trent getting out of the way during the Al Hilal counterattack… it left me speechless.”
Their front page stated elsewhere that “Huijsen shone much more than Trent.” “Little newcomer so far,” SPORT added. Too hurriedly, Trent Alexander-Arnold commits fouls down the right. The 26-year-old’s start to his new life in sunny Spain isn’t quite what he had hoped for, but he will have two more chances to adjust to life after Liverpool in the group stage matches against Pachuca and RB Salzburg.
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