Trent Alexander-Arnold's Crossing Is About To Go Nuclear

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Prior to them playing in the same team (possibly tonight, against Wolves?), a totally new tactical dimension has opened up between two new Liverpool teammates.

While low and near-post crosses are part of Trent Alexander-Arnold's forte, the whipped higher "aerial" delivery from open play – from deeper areas, but also closer to the byline – is his greatest weapon; perhaps only matched by the long diagonal from deep to the left-winger, as seen when Diogo Jota started regularly getting on the end of them.

But now, thinking about it, there's the perfect way to return Alexander-Arnold the playmaking right-back of old; and indeed, increase his importance. Cody Gakpo can change the entire attacking dynamic.

If you're crossing from the right, then often the most dangerous player is the left-sided attacker; he'll get the over-hit cross, the purposefully deep cross to overload (which has been used against Liverpool various times by Brentford), and also the flicked-away cross.

Two centre-backs may have to deal with the centre-forward, but then in can come the man at the back post who has the advantage of attacking the ball while the full-back is likely to be stationary "under" it.

If that attacking wide player is 6'4" and great in the air, as Gakpo is, then how many 6'0" right-backs are there, let alone ones the size of Virgil van Dijk? (While Gakpo’s height is listed as between 6’2” and 6’4” in different places, I’m going with 6’4” for now; albeit 6’3” may be a nice compromise.)

In addition, if Núñez pulls to the back post too, as was the style he was developing at Benfica when he began adding headed goals to his game in 2021/22, then a total overload is possible.

If Núñez goes near-post, it creates the space for Gakpo. If Núñez goes beyond the near post, then Gakpo can be in the centre of the goal. The beauty of Gakpo, either in these situations or in passing passages, is that he's comfortable in the middle.

These need not be crosses from the byline; deep and with whip will suffice – just with the margin for error of a bigger far-post attacker being able to get on anything hit a bit higher than intended.

It also makes for long open-play diagonals, both to Gakpo's head and in behind, more of a game-stretcher. Stretching opponents is what the Reds need to start doing again; make the pitch too big for the other team to cover.

Núñez will benefit from having an absolute all-rounder of a winger on the left flank: tall, quick, skilful, who can come short to get the ball and dribble, or run in behind. He can attract defenders and create space.

These are things that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – doing a decent enough job – can't offer in his current guise, while Luis Díaz's brilliance was getting a little diluted by only ever cutting inside (and my theory is that Díaz would be best longer term as an attacking midfielder).

Núñez and Gakpo both like to pull left and then drift inside. Interchanging movements can help them both lose their markers.

All this means that, if it works as I can picture it, Alexander-Arnold doesn't have to venture forward quite as much, which means he's less likely to be caught upfield, and less likely to be fatigued from getting up and back. It may help solidify the right flank.

Also, the more threat there is on the left flank, the more goal threat Mo Salah can offer on the right; as we saw when Sadio Mané and Salah first played together. With no great threat on the left since the injury to Díaz, Liverpool's front three has been lacking that elite threats in all three positions. Often there’s been a midfielder in there, doing a job, but not stretching or worrying teams.

Now, you don't want someone deep slinging aimless long-balls, but in the title-winning era, I noted that both Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk were deep-lying playmakers; two quarterbacks in the back four. But the raking balls have seemed less apparent recently. Obviously van Dijk is now injured for a month or two, but I see Gakpo as opening up the options for Alexander-Arnold.

Such passes can be a way of beating the press, and getting the ball forward very quickly with skill and accuracy. (It can also help win throws on the other side of the pitch, in the opposition half.) Then there’s winning far-post headers to head back across goal. (Plus, as I’ve noted many times, the more 6-footers the Reds have in the team, the more headers they score from set-pieces; and in reverse, the fewer they have, the more they concede.)

The more of a punch the Reds can pack, the more other teams will be cowed into staying back. More pace, height and physicality will also help Liverpool beat the bullies.

Smaller, faster full-backs seem the vogue now, which is why Salah has struggled at times this season to get away from his markers.

Okay then, deal with Gakpo in the air!

Dan Burn aside, who would cope?

While they may not be on the same flank as Gakpo (just like Burn), Marc Cucurella, Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Nathan Aké, Kyle Walker, Rico Lewis, Tyrell Malacia, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Luke Shaw, Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko, from the Big Six, spring to mind as full-backs who would struggle.

Other full-backs and wing-backs I could think of (via a very cursory google) who wouldn't easily handle a giant wide attacker in the air: Aurier, Estupiñán, Trippier, Azpilicueta, Digne, Cresswell, Sessegnon, Walker-Peters, Castagne, Ait Nouri, Justin, Clyne, Perraud, Thomas, Tete, Robinson, Mykolenko, Patterson, Henry, Young, Coufal, Smith, and Nélson Semedo of Wolves.

But as Gakpo is quick and skilful too, it's not like there's only one dimension to deal with. The more ways you can hurt the opposition, the harder it is for them to find any single way to stop you.

A few of the less-ambitious teams play 6'3" centre-backs at full-back, from what I could tell when looking through some lineups (I saw this with Leeds, West Ham and Bournemouth), but overall, it's mostly players who are 5'9" to 6ft. If teams start playing centre-backs there to deal with Gakpo, that lessens their own attacking threat.

The second balls would also be ideal for Andy Robertson and the left-sided midfielder to pick up (and Núñez, if the ball comes infield), and obviously, the more Gakpo can push teams back with his pace and dribbling skills, the more Robertson can overlap. Then, Thiago can get on the ball and feed passes in behind.

It may take time for him to adapt to English football and to gel with his teammates, but Gakpo can help take Liverpool towards a new style of football, with super-fast, tall forwards, who head at goal but also run past defenders with the ball at their feet.

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