West Ham boss David Moyes has absolutely rubbished claims about Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold ahead of Wednesday night’s clash.
West Ham welcome Liverpool to the London Stadium hoping for a repeat of last season’s result in the same fixture.
The Hammers became the first team to beat the Reds for over six months when they won 3-2 at the London Stadium back in November 2021.
West Ham have played Liverpool twice since – at Anfield on each occasion – and were very unfortunate to lose both by the same 1-0 scoreline.
Both West Ham and Liverpool have fallen way below expectations in the Premier League this season.
But the respective boardrooms have stuck behind David Moyes and Jurgen Klopp. And now their teams look as if they are getting back to something like their best ahead of the clash on Wednesday night.
Hammers wary of heavily criticised Reds star in new hybrid role
West Ham go into the clash off the back of their best week of the season in terms of performances and results.
Given the high profile nature of Liverpool’s struggles this season, a number of Reds players have found themselves under the microscope.
And one perhaps more than most in the shape of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Once likened to Brazilian great Cafu – who himself rates the Liverpool man as one of the best around – Alexander-Arnold has found himself persistently questioned.
While his ridiculous passing ability and range is beyond question, Alexander-Arnold’s defensive capabilities have seen him ridiculed by rival fans and pundits.
West Ham boss David Moyes absolutely rubbishes claims about Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold ahead of clash
Indeed he even struggles to make the England squad as debate rages over where he should play.
Klopp has been using Alexander-Arnold in a hybrid role of late, where he joins in the play in midfield.
Whether Klopp risks continuing that experiment against a rejuvenated West Ham remains to be seen.
But for the Hammers manager there is no questioning the 24-year-old.
West Ham boss Moyes has absolutely rubbishes claims about Liverpool star Alexander-Arnold ahead of the clash.
“We’ve thought about Trent Alexander-Arnold’s role, definitely, because he’s a very talented footballer,” Moyes said in his pre-match press conference.
‘Hey, he’s a good defender as well’
“As everybody knows, his deliveries, his use of the ball, his range of passing – he has all those traits of a very good quarterback-type footballer.
“Also, hey, he’s a good defender as well and has been an England international for many years too.
“For many years people have thought about Trent does he play in midfield, does he play as a full-back, and at the moment Liverpool have put him in there [the middle] a little bit more often and he’s played very well for them.”
Only in England would a talent as prodigious as Alexander-Arnold be so wildly under appreciated and misused.
One only has to look back at the absurd international career of Paul Scholes to know that.
There is an obsession with focusing on a player’s shortcomings rather than what they are brilliant at in this country.
What TAA lacks in defensive nous he more than makes up for with his play going the other way?
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