Liverpool 1-1 Napoli: Five things we learned as toothless Reds struggled
We can’t afford to lose Trent Alexander-Arnold
If you didn’t already know it, the draw against Napoli highlighted how important Trent Alexander-Arnold is to the side. Joe Gomez was brought in at right-back and the Reds immediately suffered going forward.
Gomez is nowhere near as dynamic as Alexander-Arnold, we all knew that. Nor is he the natural, attacking full-back Klopp needs to be able to call on when Trent isn’t available.
The difference Alexander-Arnold made when he came on was remarkable. Those long, raking diagonal balls returned. A sense of urgency down the flank returned. It balanced out the side and Liverpool looked a lot more threatening going forward.
Liverpool 1-1 Napoli. 'Wanna die' 'Heartbroken' Reds fans were a wreck after first 45. light
It’ll be tricking bringing in someone who can do that and finding another TAA from the Academy will be nearly impossible. He’s a generational talent and if the club sign a backup right-back it’ll have to be a player who is happy sitting on the bench for much of the season.
The truth of the matter is that there is nearly nobody in the world who can replace the Scouser, but the performance during the Napoli game really laid that uncomfortable truth bare. We’ve become reliant on the youngster, and there isn’t much we can do about it.