Former Chelsea and Arsenal defender William Gallas has urged Jurgen Klopp to sign competition for Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The Reds full-back has come in for plenty of criticism in recent weeks with his defensive lapses costing Liverpool.
His performances have come under more scrutiny due to the struggles of Jurgen Klopp’s side in general, which has seen him forced to defend more frequently.
But Gallas is not surprised by Alexander-Arnold’s displays, claiming “these errors were always in his game”.
“At the back, they have been really, really poor. Alexander-Arnold is struggling.
“The problem with Liverpool is that almost every goal is coming from Alexander-Arnold’s side of the pitch. He is playing far too high.
“From an attacking perspective, we all know that he has great quality and he can deliver plenty of crosses and create chances for his teammates to score from, but when he has to defend he is not strong enough.
“I’m not surprised by his performances. I think over the last few years, because of what he can do going forward, creating so many assists, people failed to see the weaknesses in his game as a defender.
“His first job is to defend very well. How many goals have Liverpool conceded from his mistakes?
“Nobody talks about this when you’re winning games. Liverpool were on fire, winning games, winning trophies and the number of assists he registered was magnificent, but these errors were always in his game. ”
Gallas believes Klopp needs to sign competition for the England international, who is currently making life especially hard for Joel Matip, who plays alongside the full-back and is forced to cover for him.
“He [Alexander-Arnold] needs someone to challenge him,” Gallas added. “If he doesn’t have competition, he knows that he will be playing in every game.
“When you look at his body shape, it is wrong. I saw him against Brighton and I thought he was playing like a winger, not like a right back.
“For a player like Matip, it must be so difficult to always cover his side and the spaces that he leaves behind. His job is difficult enough as it is.
“When you open your defensive line like Liverpool do, they are always in trouble. They definitely need some competition in the squad for him.
“I think if Liverpool added to the squad then you would see an improvement from him.”
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