Concerning Trent Alexander-Arnold trait picked up on by Spanish media

Spanish media have had their say on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s performance for Real Madrid against Manchester City

Trent Alexander-Arnold relished Real Madrid’s triumph over Manchester City on Wednesday evening. The Spanish team stormed into a 3-0 lead at the Bernabeu, making an impeccable start to their Champions League round of 16 tie.

Manager Alvaro Arbeloa selected Alexander-Arnold in his starting line-up, and the ex-Liverpool full-back would have been thrilled by Fede Valverde’s first-half hat-trick. The Uruguayan midfielder garnered all the praise, but Spanish media had a mixed response to Alexander-Arnold’s performance.

His one-on-one duel with City winger Jeremy Doku emerged as a concern. Pep Guardiola’s squad were unable to better the early scoreline, but the right-back’s attempts to stifle Doku attracted criticism.

However, the England international was commended for stepping up his game after half-time. The 3-0 outcome leaves City with a massive deficit to overturn ahead of the second leg at the Etihad Stadium next week.

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Alexander-Arnold will be hoping to keep his place as Los Blancos aim to secure their place in the quarter-finals. Here’s what the Spanish press thought about the former Liverpool star’s performance.

READ MORE: Real Madrid destroy Man City as Federico Valverde nets stunning Champions League hat-trickREAD MORE: Jude Bellingham’s behaviour in Real Madrid stands says everything as Man City implode

AS

Spanish outlet AS dubbed Alexander-Arnold as being “by far the weakest link” in Madrid’s defence. The report claimed that the 27-year-old was “unable to contain Doku”, forcing Valverde to help out.

He was also described as appearing “somewhat nervous and imprecise in possession”. While that would represent a shift from his typical performance, Alexander-Arnold was commended for a clever chip shortly before being substituted in the 83rd minute.

Sport

The Spanish publication awarded him a six out of 10 in their player ratings. Sport characterised the defender as “one of Madrid’s key players in building attacks”.

However, the report noted that he “struggled defensively” against Doku. The City forward was praised for his attacking approach against the former Liverpool man.

Sport stated that Alexander-Arnold improved in the second half. Meanwhile, Doku’s influence waned after a promising start.

Marca

Marca also scored the full-back a six out of 10 for his performance. The report echoed similar criticism of Alexander-Arnold struggling against Doku in the opening half.

The assessment of his first 45 minutes read: “Too much work on defence to shine on offence.” However, that altered after the interval.

The publication suggested he reached “a truce” with Doku and improved defensively. Alexander-Arnold was credited with becoming “more solid” after overcoming the winger’s early dominance.

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