How the Spanish media rated Alexander-Arnold on Real Madrid debut after Liverpool exit
Trent Alexander-Arnold has now made his Real Madrid league debut after joining on a free transfer from Liverpool.
Alexander-Arnold joined Real Madrid on a free transfer back in June after letting his contract at Anfield run down.
This sparked widespread frustration among the Reds’ fanbase, with Alexander-Arnold subject to abuse in a win against Arsenal (11 May) after confirming his imminent departure.
The England international did feature for Los Blancos in the Club World Cup, with his new side being dumped out of the summer tournament by PSG.
Now, Alexander-Arnold has made his LaLiga debut for the Spanish giants, with mixed reviews emerging after the opening day of the campaign.
How the Spanish media rated Trent Alexander-Arnold on Real Madrid debut
There were certainly eyes looking over from Merseyside towards the Spanish capital as Real Madrid played host to Osasuna on Tuesday (19 August).
In what was also Xabi Alonso’s maiden voyage as head coach at the Bernabeu, Kylian Mbappe scored the winner from the penalty spot.
This also saw the home side secure a clean sheet as Trent and his number 12 shirt at Real Madrid started before coming off after 68 minutes.
Throughout that cameo, there were some positive moments for the England international that caught the eye of the Spanish media.
Defensa central (19 August) handed the defender a six out of ten, and stated: “He’s not very involved in attack, although when he moves forward, he looks to send in a good cross.
“He’s always looking to move inside to help create the ball.”
This was echoed by El Desmarque, who rated the Englishman as a seven for his performance, saying: “He often played inside to create internal superiority. He did his job.”
How Alexander-Arnold’s league debut compared to Jeremie Frimpong’s
Having lost Alexander-Arnold before the season ended, Arne Slot and Co. were always going to be in the market to land a new right-back option.
The Dutchman did exactly that with the signing of his fellow countryman Jeremie Frimpong, who joined from Bayer Leverkusen.
This has seen the 24-year-old start for the Reds against both Crystal Palace and Bournemouth, making his Premier League debut at Anfield against the latter.
In a 4-2 opening day win, the right-back was afforded 60 minutes and put in a largely positive shift as the Reds secured a hard-fought three points.
| Stat | Jeremie Frimpong vs Bournemouth | Trent Alexander-Arnold vs Osasuna |
| Minutes played | 60 | 68 |
| Dribble success rate (%) | 100 | 0 |
| Defensive actions | 4 | 1 |
| Duels won | 3 | 0 |
| Duel win rate (%) | 75 | 0 |
Liverpool will have been keen to compare how Frimpong and Alexander-Arnold performed, and it is safe to say that the Netherlands international shone much brighter than the Englishman.
This will be of great pleasure to the Anfield faithful, who will be looking forward to watching more of the ex-Leverkusen man moving deeper into the campaign.
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