Andy Robertson on Trent Alexander-Arnold's Defensive Stigma

Andy Robertson has lifted the lid on the tactical trade-off that, in his view, helped create the long-running myth that Trent Alexander-Arnold “can’t defend”.

The pair formed one of Europe’s most devastating full-back duos under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, driving the club to the Champions League title in 2019 and the Premier League crown a year later. Their assist numbers became a trademark of that era. Their defending, though, was judged very differently.

‘I started to feel sorry for him’

Speaking on The Overlap, Robertson explained that Liverpool’s structure routinely left Alexander-Arnold exposed on the right, while he enjoyed far greater protection on the left.

“The way I defended at Liverpool compared to Trent was very different,” the current Tottenham defender said. “I had Sadio helping me out and he was a bit more aggressive so if I missed [a tackle], he’d usually be there.”

That luxury didn’t exist on the opposite flank. Mohamed Salah’s job was to stay high and threaten, not to track back into his own box.

“With Mo, we didn’t want him coming back towards our box,” Robertson said. “A lot of times, Trent was waiting on someone like [Jordan Henderson] to come over, so, sometimes, I started to feel sorry for him.”

The imbalance was clear: Mane dug in, Salah stayed high, and Alexander-Arnold was often left to manage counters almost alone. The criticism, though, landed almost entirely on the right-back.

English spotlight, different scrutiny

Robertson also pointed to the pressure that comes with being a high-profile English player at a major club.

“It’s very different when you are English, compared to another nationality,” the Scotland international said. “I always said to Trent, ‘I will never get as much high praise as you, but I’ll never get as much criticism as you.’”

Alexander-Arnold, who left Anfield for Real Madrid in 2025, has carried that defensive stigma with him throughout his career. For Robertson, it never matched the reality of what he saw up close during Liverpool’s peak years.

Locking down Europe’s elite

The Scot was adamant that the numbers and the big nights tell a different story. Alexander-Arnold produced strong defensive performances during Liverpool’s run to the 2018 Champions League final, handling some of Europe’s best wide players in high-pressure ties.

“I’ve seen him lock out [Kylian] Mbappe at PSG. In the Champions League finals, he was unbelievable,” Robertson insisted. “Trent is a very, very good defender… [in his] best games, he was an unbelievable one-v-one defender.”

For Robertson, the issue is not that Alexander-Arnold never makes mistakes, but that every slip is framed as proof of a pre-written narrative.

“Now, at times, he maybe makes mistakes. But we all do,” he said. “But it’s if [Trent] had this stigma around him, that he can’t defend. And he’s had that from a very early age. It’s as if he can’t shift it.”

A career at a crossroads

Alexander-Arnold, now 27, heads into international duty with plenty still to prove. Thomas Tuchel has included him in the latest England squad, yet the right-back has never truly nailed down a regular starting place for the Three Lions despite his club honours and creative output.

This camp offers a new manager to impress, and perhaps a fresh chance to reshape the debate that has followed him since his breakthrough.

At club level, the questions are just as sharp. His move to Real Madrid in 2025 was supposed to be the next step in a glittering career, but his La Liga spell has stuttered, his future in the Spanish capital uncertain as he battles to rediscover his top level.

The stigma Robertson rails against still hangs over him. The next few months will show whether Alexander-Arnold can finally change the story, or whether that early label will continue to shadow one of the most gifted full-backs of his generation.