Unique Trent Says Goodbye, But Conor Bradley Can Be Even Better

The more-rounded Bradley will suit Slot's system in different, possibly better ways

As I said about Ryan Gravenberch a year ago before the season began, it’s all set for Conor Bradley to go up two or three levels. He is already a supreme athlete, but again, the development in the next 1-2 years could be massive. He’s nowhere near his peak. You can see in his improved jawline and fantastic beard that he’s growing into a man, even if he’s not gone through the full filling-out process.

While people are mistaking a few injuries to Bradley as him being injury-prone, I’ve repeated that this is just age-related (more young players are having injuries up to the age of 22/23), and he’s about to age out of that period.

Equally, Trent Alexander-Arnold has had an increasing number of injuries himself, which are not age related. Trent is not a physical machine like a Mo Salah.

While the no.66 will go down as a Liverpool legend and deserves full respect and a warm farewell, I feel the team can get stronger without him, including the way his presence always offers the opposition hope on their left flank. You play Trent for what he can do, but he has also always unbalanced teams. He has given teams a way to get at the Reds.

No one will ever pass the ball better over 50 yards (albeit Virgil van Dijk is doing similar this season). But the rest? At many aspects, Bradley is already better, and in all areas he should continue to improve.

(Similarly, I feel the exceptional Stefan Bajčetić, 20, will return a better player from La Liga – with the best per-90 defensive numbers in Spain this season in his midfield role but also with a game or two at centre-back – and will be an option in midfield and at right-back, and emergency centre-back, as long as partnered with one of the 6’4” guys. I noted years ago that Bradley and Bajčetić could be immense all-round players when they were older, and both have been held back by injuries, but are emerging into stronger, adult bodies able to handle the increasingly physically demanding Premier League. Jarell Quansah, still young himself – and very unlucky against Chelsea – and who will improve with time, can also cover at right-back.)

On the one hand, you want Trent to pass long to Mo Salah. But on the other hand, Conor Bradley’s far greater energy, pace and tenacity gives him better defensive numbers (and he’s not at his physical peak yet) yet also takes him into far more dangerous positions. Crucially, he can get back, after he gets forward.

The additional running, harrying and pressing, allied to what Dominik Szoboszlai does (which is off the charts across the whole league and why he’s in the team) will help Salah find pockets of space, and an all-round centre-forward who can do a bit of everything (such as Hugo Ekitiké) will add new dimensions. Bradley’s ‘inside’ runs have already created goals this season.

From full-back, Bradley – incredibly – averages far more touches in the opposition box per game (4.55) than Rasmus Højlund (3.62), or Chris Wood (3.09), or Jamie Vardy (3.56), or Jean-Philippe Mateta (3.22).

Bradley is 99th percentile for full-backs across Europe on this, and is close to Jeremie Frimpong, who is a wing-back, not a full-back. Bradley does the job of a wing-back from full-back. Even if you don’t think he’s better than Trent, that’s one area where he adds far more.

Bradley is a flying machine, with Trent’s 1.59 touches in the opposition box showing the contrast, with Bradley having three times as many. They are different players, but I feel Bradley’s youthful, high-energy game will prosper.

Trent progresses the ball with passes; Bradley progresses with the ball (3.90 progressive carries per game, 97th percentile for a full-back), and makes more runs off the ball (inside, outside), while still making enough progressive passes (3.90 per game). So far this season, Bradley averages 0.22 assists per league game, to Trent’s 0.21.

He completes more take-ons than Trent, receives about 50% more progressive passes, and is just a far more ‘active’ player. Trent is a ball-player with unique skills, but Bradley is just really good at everything and likely to get much better, just as no one aged 21 is the finished article.

Bradley will get touches in the opposition box three times as often, because he’s a running machine, and in time, as his assists and goals for Bolton and Northern Ireland have shown, he’ll make things happen.

He’s five years younger, and again, if you’re keeping two important players in their 30s (plus the keeper) in the XI, and with plenty of ball-players in the team these days (instead of a more functional midfield) this helps balance out the team; it adds pace, height, stamina and running verve, with better defending, and lowers the average age.

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