‘Clueless’ Trent Alexander-Arnold torn to shreds by Spanish press in brutal verdict

Trent Alexander-Arnold was slammed by a prominent Spanish journalist following his below-par display against Girona on Sunday.

The Real Madrid star – like many of his teammates – fell below expectations in the 1-1 draw against La Liga’s 18th-placed side.

The result saw Real relinquish top spot to Barcelona just four weeks after beating the Catalan club in El Clasico to take a five-point advantage at the top of La Liga.

But the mood has changed quickly at the capital club following Sunday’s slip-up – their third consecutive league draw and the England international is copping much of the slack.

The ex-Liverpool full-back came in for criticism from Spanish outlet Marca for his display at the Estadi Montilivi.

Stinging criticism

Leading journalist Alfredo Relano did not mince his words when summing up Alexander-Arnold in a fiery rant.

“Now that Trent is here, he seems like a clueless and insubstantial player, with the expression of a rabbit in the headlights,” he wrote.

“His quality at set pieces is masked by his right foot, but in open play he is non-existent.”

Alexander-Arnold was not at his usual level in Sunday’ s La Liga clash with his usually reliable passing range not up to scratch.

The England international has endured a challenging start to life in Spain.

He sustained a hamstring injury in the Champions League win over Marseille in September which left him sidelined for six weeks.

His return coincided with his hostile return to former club Liverpool last month and improved performances against Elche and Olympiacos enthused fans over standing in the team.

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Getty

The response from sections of the media was also turning and for the better.

Spanish daily AS said of Alexander-Arnold: “That feeling in his foot that allows him to create chances for his teammates’ added he is ‘becoming the team’s set-piece specialist under Xabi Alonso”.

Pressure to deliver

But the 27-year-old saw just how quickly the tide can turn as a Real Madrid player, particularly with the club struggling to find their best form.

Alexander-Arnold left Liverpool in the hope of one day challenging for the Ballon d’Or but it is teammate Kylian Mbappe who appears more likely to achieve that honour in the foreseeable future.

To be in the mix for such awards, Alexander-Arnold will need to cement himself as the club’s undoubted No.1 right-back while adding substance to his game.

At present, he is yet to contribute either a goal or assist for Real Madrid across ten games in all competitions.

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Moreover, he has only completed 90 minutes twice in La Liga and was benched for the 2-1 win over Barcelona in El Clasico.

Despite that, Real Madrid boss Alonso is backing his summer signing to come good as the season wears on.

‘It’s his first year, and this adjustment period is normal. He’s also demanding of himself, and we have to support him through this significant change,” Alonso said last weekend.