Jurgen Klopp has insisted England can trust Trent Alexander-Arnold to defend against top-quality opponents when one mistake could cost them their place in the World Cup.
Alexander-Arnold has appeared England’s fourth-choice right-back under Gareth Southgate, who has said Kieran Trippier has a better “all-round game” than the Champions League winner but, with Reece James injured, the Liverpool player was named in their squad for the tournament in Qatar.
And last weekend, Gary Neville, England’s most-capped right-back and former coach, said: “In this moment in time, I can’t see how Gareth can go into a knockout game in a World Cup playing Trent Alexander-Arnold.”
But while Alexander-Arnold’s defending has often been criticised this season, Klopp said: “You hear Gary Neville said in the knockout games he cannot play but Trent Alexander-Arnold is now 24 and he won quite a few finals. That is a very important game where you have to defend.
“Chelsea last year both games [in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals] were very intense against top-class opponents, some better than the players you face in the World Cup and he always was there and always defended really well. I don’t know why we have this discussion.”
Alexander-Arnold has only played in one international in 2022 and his position in the squad may have been under threat had James been fit but Klopp said the Liverpudlian was delighted to get called up.
He added: “I saw his face and realised he was really happy. It is nice, a big tournament and he was very pleased and so I am very happy for him.”
Liverpool sign off by hosting Southampton on Saturday and Klopp is not worried that his seven players who are going to the World Cup will be preoccupied by it.
He added: “We are professionals and the boys play the game like they play every game, with full focus, everything can happen in the football game but if you [get injured on Saturday or] go to the World Cup and think you have made it and get injured in the first game, I am not sure what is the biggest disappointment.
“To perform at the highest level, you have to focus on what you need to do in the moment. We know this is our World Cup, the Southampton game. We had a tricky first part of the season but if we can win this game, we could make 22 [points] and it could give us a distance where we can see light at the end of the tunnel and that is the mindset the boys have as well. We don’t talk about the World Cup. It is the situation and the boys who were nominated, great, some others were not and that is not cool.”
Ibrahima Konate was one who has been selected and Klopp said: “France has an incredible amount of centre-halves at top clubs around the world and to make the cut there is a big one. He was very pleased as well. You needed something to get the smile out of his face and it is a big achievement.”
