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"He's playing to his strengths" | Mark Lawrenson on Alexander Arnold

Mark Lawrenson has weighed in on the debate surrounding Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander Arno...



Soccer

"He's playing to his strengths" | Mark Lawrenson on Alexander Arnold

Mark Lawrenson has weighed in on the debate surrounding Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander Arnold. Lawrenson believes Jurgen Klopp has full faith in the England international.

Lawrenson was speaking on Friday's OTB AM, where he detailed why he believes the player performs well in his position.

"I don't know a better right-back in world football," he claimed. "He's just not a world-class defender, but he's a world-class full-back going forward."

Trust in Klopp

Alexander Arnold has come under fire recently for his lack of defensive skills. However, the former Republic of Ireland international explained Klopp's trust in the full-back means criticism should not be frequent.

"If Klopp had a real problem with him defensively, we would know about it. He knows he's just an absolutely brilliant player going forward."

"He plays to his strengths - why would you play to his weaknesses?", Lawrenson asked. "His crossing ability is as good as any I have ever seen. He's quick and if you're quick you can always make a defensive mistake and recover, which is important."

Ranking the Top Four

The former Liverpool player also discussed who he believes to be the best manager in the Premier League at this moment. Lawrenson, 64, ranked last season's top four managers in order of preference.

"I think Tuchel is first," said Lawrenson. "I think Solskjaer is fourth, and I think it's a toss-up between Pep and Klopp for second and third place."

Lawrenson highlighted how impressed he has been with the London side so far this season.

"To me, Chelsea looks to be the best team in terms of not playing particularly well in games but winning. I think they've just got that and it's a lot to do with the manager. The way he (Tuchel) sets the team up has a lot to do with that."

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Jurgen Klopp Mark Lawrenson Ole Gunnar Solksjaer Thomas Tuchel Trent Alexander-Arnold