Trent Alexander-Arnold played as a midfielder for Real Madrid during their win over Inter on Tuesday night.
The player looked solid in many duels, but in others, it was proven that he is not a midfielder. There were some obvious tendencies that Trent was missing in the middle of the park, and if he has to play in that position again, it would have to be in a game where Real Madrid have more of the ball.
That is how Trent could do damage as a midfielder, but not in a game like this. It was not his fault - Jose Mourinho did not have many midfielders to choose from. Aurelien Tchouameni, who came on for Trent in the second half, was only brought on in the last few minutes because he had not played a professional match since the World Cup.
After the game, Mourinho was asked about Trent's performance in midfield, to which he made it clear that he knows his best position is at right-back.
Trent Alexander-Arnold can drift inwards to help Real Madrid, but he will always be a full-back
He said: "He did very well. Both he and Valverde worked well. He had a few turnovers, but that's normal because it's not easy to work with the midfield.
"Maintaining intensity in that position is also difficult, even though he's done it with the national team. He gave his all when he came on. I appreciate his effort, but his characteristics aren’t ideal for that position."
Now that these players will return from suspension, Trent would presumably go back to being a full-back. There were many points where Mourinho referred to Trent as someone who can go into the midfield at points. What he meant was different to directly playing him as a midfielder.
Presumably, Mourinho would have wanted Trent to drift in as a full-back to give Real Madrid a numerical advantage with the ball in the midfield, while going back to his usual right-back position when Real Madrid were out of position.
That would be ideal, but having Trent in the middle of the park at all times, with and without the ball, is an experiment that was tried by many managers in the past, but they quickly understood that as good as Trent is on the ball, he is simply not a midfielder.
His best work is produced when he is given the license to drift in or out from his position, and he is able to use his long-range passing to good use. Without the ball, Trent is a right-back, and that is where he would struggle if he is ever to play this position again.
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