Why Trent Alexander-Arnold faces his biggest challenge yet since joining Real Madrid

No footballer has divided opinion quite like Trent Alexander-Arnold this year… and that was before he even pulled on a Real Madrid jersey at the FIFA Club World Cup.

The England international was vilified by a section of Liverpool fans over the way he quit his boyhood club and moved to Madrid this summer.

Some felt that Alexander-Arnold was scheming and underhand in how he discreetly engineered the transfer while remaining silent on his future publicly.

Others believed he was perfectly entitled to run down his contract and join arguably the most iconic club in the world with all the glitz and glamour that comes with it.

Scousers are a savvy bunch, by and large, and the anger that Alexander-Arnold incurred amongst his own people said much for the strength of feeling surrounding the move.

As a Liverpool season-ticket holder of over 30 years, I can genuinely see both sides of the debate.

I actually thought ‘Good luck to the lad’. Having won every trophy on offer with Liverpool, why not move abroad and test yourself there?

The lifestyle and the climate would certainly have tempted me.

Anyhow, football moves on quickly and Alexander-Arnold is already five games into his Real Madrid career and preparing to face Paris St-Germain in the Club World Cup semi-finals - a game you watch live and free on DAZN.

Los Blancos paid Liverpool £8.4 million to release the 26-year-old early so as to enable him to play in the tournament.

Liverpool’s loss should be Madrid’s gain as Alexander-Arnold bids to help Xabi Alonso’s men to glory in the US.

Real Madrid vs. Brorussia Dortmund | FIFA Club World Cup Extended Highlights

 

Wednesday’s semi-final showdown with a PSG side who have become largely unstoppable under Luis Enrique will undoubtedly present Alexander-Arnold with his biggest test so far, though.

For all Alexander-Arnold’s technical brilliance, defensive flaws remain a fundamental part of his make-up.

We have seen both sides of his game during his early outings for Madrid in group-stage matches against Al Hilal, Pachuca, RB Salzburg and knockout ties against Juventus and Borussia Dortmund.

There was much to admire in his delightful cross which Gonzalo Garcia headed in to secure victory over Juve in the Round of 16 last week.

It was his first assist since joining the club and a reminder of his undeniable talent.

Alexander-Arnold has played all five games at right-back with a licence to support the attack, something he has done to varying degrees of success during the tournament.

But his defensive shortcomings were exposed against Juventus as Kenan Yildiz gave him several difficult moments.

Alexander-Arnold was basically crucified for his performance by Marca, the influential Spanish national tabloid, and even Alonso admitted his concerns, saying Dani Carvajal was another reliable option at right-back.

Now Alexander-Arnold is readying himself to face one of the greatest attacking line-ups in world football right now.

Desire Doue, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele have been key figures for PSG in their glorious treble-winning 2024-25 campaign.

Doue, who scored twice in PSG’s Champions League final 5-0 win over Inter Milan, netted the opening goal against Bayern Munich in their quarter-final 2-0 victory at the weekend.

PSG vs. Bayern Munich | 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Extended Highlights

 

The 20-year-old fired a low, left-footed drive into the corner for the opening goal and, despite having Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez sent off, Dembele added a second in injury time.

Kvaratskhelia is another special talent who appears likely to come into direct contact with Alexander-Arnold once again.

The Georgia international possesses a gifted left foot and is a major threat down PSG’s left flank, as Alexander-Arnold knows all too well from playing against him twice in the Champions League last season.

(Getty Images)

Kvaratskhelia gave Alexander-Arnold some very difficult moments during Liverpool’s 1-0 Round of 16 first-leg win in Paris.

Dembele and Kvaratskhelia in particular were unplayable at times and it needed a goalkeeping masterclass from Alisson Becker to keep the French side out.

Kvaratskhelia impressed again in the second leg at Anfield, which PSG won 1-0 before going through on penalties.

Significantly, the winger was recently asked by Rio Ferdinand who he viewed as his hardest opponent in his career so far.

“Here in France there are good defenders, but I think after my time against him in Paris, the hardest opponent was Trent,” replied Kvaratskhelia.

Alexander-Arnold will have it all to do, though, against a PSG outfit who have won nine of their past 10 matches across all competitions.

They have also kept six clean sheets in their last seven competitive matches.

Stopping Doue, Dembele and Kvaratskhelia – a strikeforce dripping with class, speed and creativity – represents a mountainous task for Alexander-Arnold and his new team-mates.

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