Having long taken exception to the notion of Trent Alexander-Arnold as a defensive liability, it was no surprise to hear Jurgen Klopp offer a firm riposte at what he perceived to be fresh criticism at the London Stadium on Wednesday.
After a hard-fought 2-1 win away at West Ham, one that had been built on reserves of character having gone down early to Lucas Paqueta's opener, Klopp was asked a question about the new role of Alexander-Arnold in this Liverpool team; the one that essentially requires him to play two positions: both as a hard-nosed defensive full-back and a marauding central midfielder.
It's a tactical tweak that has led to him registering five assists in four games, which is the most of any Liverpool player in a single month of Premier League football. It is quite the feat given the voracious quest to supply team-mates that both Alexander-Arnold and his colleague Andy Robertson have been on for the last five years or so.
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The question to Klopp was about there possibly being an acceptance that as a new hybrid central midfielder, when in possession, that there will inevitably be times when the No.66 is not manning his usual right-back post, such as a first-half chance for the Hammers, when Virgil van Dijk was forced to get a vital toe on a ball to the back post to deny Michail Antonio a tap-in at 1-1.
While the question was not necessarily loaded or delivered with an intent to talk about Alexander-Arnold's defensive deficiencies or shortcomings, Klopp was still in no mood to reflect any negativity in the headlines from what had been an impressive win in London.
"When you play completely ball-orientated. [The West Ham chance] has nothing to do with Trent's position," Klopp said. "We had three other players on the other side making the challenge. So we just didn't win the ball. It's nothing to do with Trent.
"He was good. Let me say it like this, he was really good. I don't know exactly where Trent was [for the West Ham chance], but the problem there was we could have won the ball there but we didn't, 3v1 and that should not happen. I was pleased with the fact we had three players but it is the Premier League and players can get past."
The new-found experiment is so far yielding impressive results. His first half in particular at West Ham was indicative of a player enjoying his freedom and thriving as a result. A pass completion rate of 87%, 73 touches and 52 completed passes that included five of six 'long balls' are proof of Alexander-Arnold becoming the creative fulcrum of this Liverpool team once more.
One particular passage of play saw him get the Reds from the edge of their own box to West Ham's in a blink with a sumptuous outside-of-the-foot flick around the corner to Fabinho before he drove past the halfway line and delivered a clip towards a lurking Diogo Jota.
His fifth assist of a productive month was not his most difficult but the pass to feet that ended with Cody Gakpo smashing home from 20 yards will have been no doubt celebrated by Alexander-Arnold in the same way a goal poacher does when they pounce on a tap-in. They all count.
"I think [Trent's new position has] helped us," says Jordan Henderson. "It's definitely given us something a little bit different. And we can build confidence within games, it's been a bit easier to play through the middle, to get on the ball and create a little bit more. So I think Trent has been outstanding in that position and it gives us something a little bit different.
"It's something new for him and I think it's like a new stimulus for him. He is learning it all the time and it's a different position than before. I thought he has been really good there, getting on the ball in dangerous areas and inside.
"He can hurt teams as well, so he has done really well and like I say, he has helped us over the last few games as a team as well, especially winning the ball back in the middle.
"I know everyone talks about [Trent] with the ball, he is really good playing with the ball, which is great, but it gives us an extra man in the middle as well and when we lose the ball and that has been something that we have been much better at in the last few weeks."
And it's not just the captain backing Alexander-Arnold's new role, with Fabinho, who has played alongside him in the middle of the park and Alisson both praising its success.
The switch to the centre of the pitch started in the second half of a pulsating 2-2 draw with Arsenal earlier this month but that felt more organic due to the red-hot Anfield atmosphere as Liverpool fought their way back into the game on Easter Sunday.
The 6-1 victory at Leeds was very much more by calculated design with Alexander-Arnold the crown jewel in the tactical plan that had been dreamed up across a full week on the training pitches at the AXA Centre.
Liverpool have now made it five games unbeaten with three successive wins to keep the door to Champions League ajar ever so slightly, but it remains to be seen what the criticism will be of Alexander-Arnold whenever the Reds falter or the concession of a goal comes down the right side of the pitch.
"Look, he's definitely capable of doing this role that we've seen in the last few games, but I don't think it's a long-term solution," Glen Johnson, who knows all about the demands of trying to excel as an attacking right-back at Anfield, tells the ECHO.
"But in certain games, against certain opposition, then it can definitely be a threat. But there's going to be games when you're playing against better opposition and you're just not going to get away with some of the stuff they're getting away with.
"Against Leeds, no disrespect to them, but Leeds are really, really struggling at the moment. They could have played any way they wanted and won that game. So, yes, it looked great, but can that happen against the top four/five? Maybe not, but it might not need to.
"It might be a string to their bow that they can use against a team that's going to sit back and they're going to dominate possession. So I think it's a good weapon to have in the armoury, but I don't think it would be a regular position week in, week out."
Speaking courtesy of King Casino Bonus, Johnson adds: "I don't think Trent's new hybrid role is something that Klopp will stick with for long. It would definitely work against the weaker teams but I don't know if it would work against the top six. It is a good attribute to have against lesser opposition.
"As a right back, you need a good engine as a start. You need to have the power to get up and down the pitch at a good time. Ultimately, you have to read the game well. You have to make a run forward, but you have to judge the fact that whoever makes the pass isn't trying to give the ball away.
"All of a sudden, you are blasted for being out of position when you wouldn't have been if your teammate had made the right pass. It's just about reading the game and trying to make sure that when you do go forward, you have to get the ball."
In a season where Liverpool's defending has come under increased scrutiny, Alexander-Arnold has been a lightning rod at times, particularly when left out of international duty for England. The defender's profile means his approach and form is often dissected to the nth degree compared to his peers at other top clubs in the Premier League, so it will be interesting to see how a setback, wherever and whenever it inevitably comes, is analysed by the wider footballing media.
For now, though, having been something of a pioneer in the reinvention of the full-back role during his formative years as a Liverpool player, Alexander-Arnold is now being tasked with doing so once more. The early signs are hugely encouraging.
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