Early in the Liverpool team, Real Madrid signed defender Trent Alexander-Arnold to participate in the Club World Cup. The move is paying off as they get ready to meet Borussia Dortmund in the quarterfinals on July 5.
England international gave the opening goal of the match to Gonzalo Garcia after Xabi Alonso brought his side past the Italian giants Juventus by a scoreline of 1-0 as they played in the last 16.
Wing-Back Role Boost Under Alonso’s 3-5-2 System
In their previous two games, Alexander-Arnold has benefited from playing as a right wing-back since Alonso switched to a back three as soon as he had the players available.
He will continue there at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey versus Dortmund, a German team.
Real brought Alexander-Arnold in because of his offensive productivity, which included a floating cross for Gonzalo against Juventus.
Thibaut Courtois Praises Alexander-Arnold’s Set-Piece Mastery
Thibaut Courtois, the keeper for Los Blancos, has been quoted as claiming that he might have already contributed a lot more assists.
He is terrible to play against in training. He’s a master at corner kicks. I doubt that I have ever seen a man of this calibre. As a goalkeeper, it is a nightmare, but it will make me much better.
Defensive Adjustments: Carvajal and Alexander-Arnold Roles
Real Madrid captain Dani Carvajal has returned after a long-term injury, but with Alexander-Arnold in the lineup, he could wind up playing more centre back than wing-back.
A month before his Liverpool contract expired, Los Blancos reportedly spent up to €10 million to sign the 26-year-old, but they have already earned over €54 million for making it to the Club World Cup quarterfinals.
Alexander-Arnold’s Performance Improvement Timeline
Trent Alexander-Arnold has progressively improved after he struggled a bit at right-back against Al Hilal in Real Madrid 1-1 draw. In the future, the Saudi Arabian team’s 4-3 victory over Manchester City demonstrated that the defender’s issues were not solely his own fault.
Besides overcoming Dortmund in the Champions League final in 2024, Real Madrid defeated them 5-2 this season in the group stage of the same competition after coming back from a two-goal deficit. But since then, both clubs have seen substantial transformation.
Managerial Changes and Squad Evolution
They now have new managers in Alonso and Niko Kovac of Dortmund, who has been excellent since joining in January and has helped them qualify for the Champions League the following season.
Real Madrid defense has been shaken by the additions of Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Dortmund purchased Jobe Bellingham from Sunderland.
However, the midfielder’s older brother Jude Bellingham will not play against him because he is suspended for the match against Real because he was given a yellow card against Monterrey during the 2-1 round of sixteen triumph.
Kylian Mbappé’s Form and Selection Dilemma
The rout of Dortmund in Oct was tainted by the inability of Real Madrid F.C. France striker Mbappe to score amid a crisis of confidence, but since then the player has been in top form.
Mbappe, who returned from gastroenteritis as a substitute against Juventus, will be eager to start against the Bundesliga club and add to his 43-goal total.
The former Paris Saint-Germain player, who will face his former club in the semi-finals if both teams advance, might replace Gonzalo, despite the 21-year-old scoring three goals in the competition.
Gonzalo García on Alexander-Arnold Assist vs Juventus
Gonzalo Garcia had certain characteristics with the forward, whom Alonso compared to former Madrid great Raul, adding, ‘It’s inexplicable.’
Gonzalo continued, “I thought, ‘This is mine,’ after seeing a fantastic ball come in from Trent and Rudiger miss it.” Gonzalo scored the goal against Juventus.
Dortmund, his old Bundesliga opponents, will face Alonso, who joined Real Madrid from Bayer Leverkusen.
Niko Kovac Previews Real Madrid Tactical Challenge
Kovac stated, “We know (him) very well; he worked in Germany for two and a half years and did an excellent job.” He is currently using all of his Leverkusen skills to Real Madrid. With different players, we anticipate the same outcome as we did in Leverkusen.
“We’re excited, but you have to play football for ninety minutes. If we give it our all on the pitch and put on the same show as we did (against Monterrey), I think we’ll have a good chance.”
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