Liverpool are going to fight for their seventh Champions League title on May 28 versus Real Madrid. Their run to the final was almost flawless, with only a single defeat and a single draw. Mohamed Salah was instrumental in many of these numerous wins, and he has been playing at a very high level for the entire season. Many consider him to be the most important player for Liverpool in this final.
However, this is where conventional wisdom might fool you. Salah is great, but Liverpool's X-Factor in the Champions League final versus Real Madrid will be Trent Alexander-Arnold.
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Liverpool's X-Factor in Champions League Final — Trent Alexander-Arnold
Now, this does not mean that Mohamed Salah is not important for this Liverpool side. He is their best player by far, and it has been his goals and overall contributions offensively that the Reds based their success on this season. Salah has scored 31 in all competitions, including eight in the Champions League. He also has two assists, and, generally, he is available for Liverpool whenever his number is called. Salah's contribution to the final will be felt regardless because he is such an important player for the Liverpool squad.
However, the most important player will be Trent Alexander-Arnold, as his contributions in all aspects of the footballing game will be critical for Liverpool's success in this match.
First of all, it will be the offensive side that is so important for Liverpool when TAA is concerned. His overlapping runs across the right side, his connection with Mohamed Salah, will be critical for the way that Liverpool attacks. He will not be involved in the pressing as much, even though that is a key part of how Liverpool plays, but his runs behind the defense, when all attention is on Salah, will be a great way for the Reds to create opportunities. That goes together with his immaculate ability to cross the ball, where guys like Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota, if he plays, will be patiently waiting, together with the Liverpool midfielders who run into the box when TAA is on the ball and ready to cross it in.
One more key aspect of Alexander-Arnold offensively is his ability to send accurate long balls forward. Much has been spoken about the ability of defenders to send long balls diagonally and switch up play. Liverpool's opponent, Real Madrid, utilize this in a great manner, through Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal to a degree. Of course, Toni Kroos does it as well, but he does it from a midfield position. However, neither player is as good in this regard as Trent Alexander-Arnold, and his long passes are a major part of how Liverpool runs their offense.
According to statistics, TAA has a 78% passing accuracy across the board and 1,702 overall passes made this season in the Premier League. If we limit that to just long passes, he sent in 741 accurate long passes in this edition of the EPL. Most of these came forward, rather than diagonally, and it opened up opportunities for Mane, who is usually on the other side from TAA, to have one of his best seasons to date.
This is an important aspect of Liverpool's game because the defense of opposition teams usually gravitates towards the right, meaning that there is a lot of space to be exploited on the left. The expected inclusion of Fede Valverde from the side of Real Madrid might derail this game plan somewhat, but it will still be effective.
However, even more important than his attacking contribution will be Trent Alexander-Arnold's defensive contribution. To his credit, he became a solid defender and made strides since last season. In their quarterfinal matchup last season, Vinicius Junior made a mockery of TAA, basically having his way on the left whenever he pleased.
Now, the Liverpool defense was shaky, to say the least, so it was not all on Alexander-Arnold, but he shares a huge part of why Vinicius managed to play so well. It will be even tougher this season, with Vini playing out of his skin and entering this match very much in form. Thus, it will be very important for Liverpool that Alexander-Arnold stops the Brazilian winger in his tracks.
Liverpool have many important pieces for this match. The availability of Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara will be critical, together with the stability of their defense. Salah is above the mentioned players because he will be expected to carry much of the offensive load.
However, it will be TAA on both sides of the field who is absolutely critical for the success of Liverpool in this match. Thus, Trent Alexander-Arnold will be the X-Factor of Liverpool in their Champions League Final versus Real Madrid.
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