Spanish media have hit out at Trent Alexander-Arnold’s ‘lost’ and ‘incredibly weak’ defensive performance after the Real Madrid defender was caught out for a Celta Vigo goal in their crunch LaLiga clash.
Real Madrid were under pressure to respond against Celta Vigo after suffering consecutive defeats in the league to fall four points adrift of leaders Barcelona.
Aurelien Tchouameni had given Real Madrid a lift with his 11th minute opener at the Estadio Abanca-Balaídos, but Celta soon mustered a response with Alexander-Arnold at fault.
The former Liverpool full back, who has endured a difficult first season at Real Madrid, was caught out by a long ball played over the top of the defence.
Having been beaten to the ball by Williot Swedberg, Alexander-Arnold was forced to chase back into his own penalty area.
Alexander-Arnold was then undone by a smart turn by the Swedish winger, who squared for Borja Iglesias to level the score after 25 minutes.
Spanish newspaper Marca stated that Alexander-Arnold looked ‘bewildered’ and ‘lost’ as he attempted to defend the situation.
The comparison was drawn between Alexander-Arnold’s defensive efforts and his work going forward, after he had set up a chance for Vinicius Jnr, who had hit the upright.
‘Good grief, Trent, what a defensive display from the Englishman on that goal,’ Marca wrote. ‘If you can even call it defensive. Slow, out of position, and then lost inside the box.
‘This is Trent, the one who made it 1-1, played very poorly at the back, and also the one who assisted Vinicius on the shot that hit the post.
‘Whether he has the ball or not, it’s a completely different story.’
At half-time, the newspaper added: ‘He contributes a lot in attack but also takes a lot away in defense. He was incredibly weak on Celta’s equaliser.
‘Swedberg got behind him, then lost his position in the race, he failed to cut inside and conceded a back pass that Borja Iglesias capitalized on.
‘His overall performance included a goal ‘gifted’ in both defense and attack, a great long ball that set up Vinicius in a one-on-one with Radu.’
The Englishman’s blushes were spared by team-mate Federico Valverde, however, whose strike in the fifth minute of injury time sealed a dramatic victory and ensured Madrid would not slip away from Barcelona in the title race.
Alexander-Arnold was making just his eighth league start for Real Madrid in a debut season that has been disrupted by two injuries.
In total, Alexander-Arnold has played 23 times for Real Madrid since joining from Liverpool ahead of last summer’s FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.
The 27-year-old’s hopes of making England’s World Cup squad currently look slim amid his disrupted season.
Alexander-Arnold has made just one appearance for Thomas Tuchel’s side in their last 12 matches, playing 26 minutes against Andorra last June.
