It wasn't the lack of tracking back that bothered me as much because even at full tilt, Trent isn't catching Martinelli. What got me was the one on the touchline where Martinelli just cut inside and Trent couldn't even be arsed to put a foot out to either block the ball or at least bring the Arsenal man down.
We all know he's not the best defender in the world but questions have to be asked of those around him as well. Why aren't Konate and/or Van Dijk getting a hold of him and telling him to put the effort in and hold his position for ten minutes? Why isn't Klopp forcing him to stay behind after training and work on the defensive side of things? Why isn't he showing enough maturity to want to improve in himself?
And it's all very well saying put him in midfield but a midfielder has to defend as well, maybe even more so than at full back given the way we play. If he's playing in the middle and Bradley is bombing on then is Trent gonna cover the right back slot from midfield when he can't/won't do it when he's playing there? The first thing everyone sees in a Klopp midfield (and ok it won't be next season) is the work rate.
We had to change our entire midfield in the summer because they couldn't get round the pitch as Jürgen demands. And I think putting Trent in midfield could end up exposing his defensive frailities even more. He's fine when given 30 yards of space to spray the ball around but harried, he comes unstuck and if he's losing possession in midfield then the opposition have a free run at our back line - Bournemouth game at Anfield springs to mind.
Very good post.
I said similar 18 months ago and was called out for it. Yet here we are 18 months later and its just as bad if not worse.
18 months ago I said this lad will never be one of the greats because the greats whether at this club or another put the effort in to get better. The greats analyse every mm of their game looking for a way to improve, to be even better and carry on learning. I called him out for not just not working on his weaknesses but questioned whether he thought he was above it or needed to. He's no interest on improving the weak aspects of his game. He didn't 18 months ago and I'd say his weaknesses have got worse since then.
I also posed the question 18 months ago why are the senior pros, Henderson, milner etc not getting in this lads face and challenging him because there had been so many instances of outright laziness to go with his clear disinterest in defending. As dunlop Says, why isn't he working on it ... being forced to work on it.
18 months after I called him out for it I'd have hoped to sit here now and say ' well he's not maldini' in the defensive stakes but I can see clear improvement and proof he's trying to be better and improve his game. Because after all, this benefits the team as the back 4 will be more of a unit. But he is getting worse.
For all his qualities with the ball at his feet, it's clear he doesn't enjoy the other side of the game. I don't want to see him at right back , Bradley has done great there and it's clear the other side of the game isn't above him. I'd have Gomez at right back over him too.
So this brings us to the midfield and we're once again dunlop makes a good point. In midfield there is 'the other side of the game' as well. And as good as he could be in there in my opinion, if he's not going to do the other side of it then does he get in?
To think this lad is vice-captain and turn a show in like that on Sunday. There is no way martinelli would have had so much joy against Bradley. I don't know if that boy will make it here long term. But he's tenacious defensively, sticks to his task and he'd have put a marker on martinelli early doors ... quite simply he would have done alot better.
Trent ... where do we go? If you stop putting the work in, and think you've made it in this game it has a habit of finding you out.
If I was trent and I was being questioned like this, and in the media and I had anything about me, I'd want to work day and night at it to be better. I don't want to unload on him , but he was a disgrace on Sunday and alot of what he did , or didn't do just drove me to the point of anger. Arsenal are a decent side. Can't just leave it to konate or someone else to do your job.
It's a shame. So much talent ... he can do pretty much anything with a football. But to be a great in this game you've got to have the work ethic too ... every day every session every game.