Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho wants to experiment with Trent Alexander-Arnold dropping into the midfield in possession, according to a report from AS.
Back in his Liverpool days, especially during Jurgen Klopp's final seasons in charge of the Reds, Alexander-Arnold was made to play in a more central position to what he was used to from before.
This experiment resulted in a flurry of assists in the last nine games of the 2022-23 season, followed by another decent season playing inwards.
Trent would go back to his position as a right-back when the team did not have the ball, but his brilliant ball progression meant that there weren't as many points where that was the case.
Trent Alexander-Arnold should succeed playing inwards at Real Madrid, but with a few cautions
Mourinho wants to try out the same things with Trent at Real Madrid, as there is a clear lack of creative play from midfield. A lot of the burden fell on Arda Guler to create from deep last season, and it seems like the Turkish international would need to fight for his spot in the line-up once again - meaning someone needs to be there from the start to get the ball to the attackers.
It is an experiment that, in theory, makes sense. Trent's on-ball skills are second to none as a full-back. He is a gifted passer with a very long range and a creative eye, which should, in theory, make it easy for him to ping balls into the attacking third.
However, it is also worth noting that Trent, at the end of the day, is a full-back. When England tried playing Trent as a full-fledged midfielder in the Euros a couple of seasons ago, it did not work. The same with his days at Liverpool. He needs to remain a full-back, with the freedom to drop inwards when necessary.
There may be some points where dropping into the midfield would help Real Madrid, but there are also points where the player needs to stay wide. Especially in game states where Carlos Espi is present in the box, because his crosses and long balls from the right side can be much more devastating, especially if he has space to work with.
This system also should work out well at Real Madrid, though - Trent's got Ibrahima Konate and Fede Valverde as covers. Konate is very used to playing in that role where he has to cover for Trent, while Valverde provides excellent coverage and tracking - both of which should help Trent when he has moved inwards, or when he is in an advanced position and Real Madrid have lost the ball.
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