Seven days to go: Trent aiming to break his own PL assist record
Trent Alexander-Arnold will aim to break his own assist record when the 2019-20 Premier League season restarts.
Liverpool, leading the division by 25 points and requiring six more to clinch the title, pick up their campaign with a trip across Stanley Park for a Merseyside derby against Everton next Sunday evening.
In the build-up to the resumption, we will take a look at a series of Reds-related subplots to keep an eye on during the final nine fixtures this month and next.
We start with Alexander-Arnold.
The right-back made history in 2018-19 by providing 12 assists across the Premier League season – the highest number ever registered by a defender in a single campaign in the division.
This term, he’d equalled that tally by Liverpool’s 27th match, setting up two goals in the 3-2 win over West Ham United at Anfield.
One more assist during the forthcoming run-in, therefore, would be enough to establish a new benchmark in that category for a player still aged just 21.
Alexander-Arnold won’t have given up on reining in Kevin De Bruyne, the only man with more assists in the Premier League so far this season, either.
The Manchester City midfielder racked up 16 before the suspension of the top flight in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A closer inspection of Alexander-Arnold’s statistics provide an explanation of why he has become such a prolific creative source for his teammates.
He has delivered more crosses than anybody else in the Premier League this season (313) and ranks third for total passes – behind Virgil van Dijk and Rodrigo – with 1,986.
With a licence to exploit his athleticism and invention up the length of the right flank and, actually, wherever he finds space on the pitch, the England international has provided 63 key passes so far.
“He plays as a playmaker on the right,” explained Reds assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders earlier in the season.
“I said already a few times I’m not sure how the game will evolve, the only thing I know is they [the opposition] close the centre better and better, and defensive stability is becoming better in teams, with five at the back or with four at the back, they defend the centre of the pitch much better.
“So the wings become more interesting and become more important, to have a good positional play there and a good offensive idea there.
“Trent is one who gives us that from that position, he plays like a central midfielder there, how he puts passes.”
The reverse league meeting with Everton, back in December, featured one of the most obvious examples of Alexander-Arnold’s multifunctionality.
Collecting a pass from a cleared Blues corner inside his own half on the left-hand side, he carried it confidently to the opposition area and set up Sadio Mane to sweep in the fourth of Liverpool’s five goals on the night.
For many reasons – one of them record-breaking – the Scouser would relish a similar moment next Sunday night.