Can Conor Bradley step up and be Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s replacement as Liverpool’s first-choice right back if the Scouser leaves? Harry McMullen takes a look.
When thinking of Liverpool’s out-of-contract stars, it’s unimaginable that Virgil Van Dijk or Mohamed Salah would go unreplaced should they depart this summer.
Yet, despite Alexander-Arnold being the most peak-aged player of the trio, there are few credible links to potential replacements at right-back if he leaves.
• READ: Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid: A legacy-changing decision
So, what has understudy Bradley done to engender trust to be in the reckoning to take over from the No. 66?
The team he plays in
Building a successful team is hard. Some clubs are adept at profiling players and constructing a clear system, such as Brighton or Brentford, but they can lack elite quality for the biggest matches.
Others, like Chelsea, have an abundance of quality but the team is so incoherent that they can be taken apart.
Liverpool have got it spot on for Arne Slot this season. The squad is well suited to his system and more controlled style of play, but there are also several world-leading talents who can be decisive regardless of tactics or systems.
The big moments in both boxes have typically gone Liverpool’s way this season.
Alexander-Arnold is one such moment’s player – we’ve called him a “game-breaker” in the past – because he has the quality to decide a game by himself.
He has simplified his game this season, becoming more defensively solid whilst still contributing to the attack. But Slot has also compromised his vision for the full-back role to accommodate him.
What is Slot’s vision?
Slot’s teams control the tempo of games.
Sometimes that’s by sitting deep and counter-attacking, other times it’s with their high press – but ideally, it’s through their use of the ball. “Kill teams with passes” as he told the players in pre-season.
By playing slower, simpler passes in build-up, opponents are tempted to press, allowing Slot’s side to quickly move up and exploit the space in behind.
Full-backs play a key role in this game of tempo. At Feyenoord, Slot’s most-used player was Lutsharel Geertruida (No. 4, pictured below).
He could play on either side of the defence or at centre-back, but always with the instruction to get on the ball in central regions. This could sometimes be in the first phase of buildup…
…and definitely in the second phase, with the inverted full-back playing inside the opponent’s defensive block.
This overloads the midfield, meaning his team either have a free man to pass to, or space in behind if an opposition defender steps up to mark that free man.
Liverpool have generally used their full-backs more conservatively this season. By building with a back four, they open up passing lanes to the wingers, and Alexander-Arnold has time to pick a killer ball in behind.
The forwards are more likely to drop and create that overload in midfield rather than a full-back pushing up, such as when Salah drops to play a bounce pass for Alexander-Arnold to surge forwards.
How does Bradley compare?
Bradley, however, can play more like a Slot full-back – which was evidenced in November’s 2-0 win over Real Madrid.
In the first half, Liverpool kept their usual buildup shape, playing around the sides of Madrid’s press.
Bradley was able to shut down counter attacks effectively this way, leading to his superb challenge on Kylian Mbappe that took all of the headlines.
But in the second half, with Liverpool allowed to dominate possession, Bradley was instructed to move inside, becoming the extra player in the middle.
Real were unable to track his movement, and Bradley popped up in the box to attack Liverpool’s best chance so far – though his header was saved.
A few minutes later, however, Bradley was free again, and he teed up Alexis Mac Allister‘s opening goal.
It wasn’t as flashy as an Alexander-Arnold whipped ball or even one of Bradley’s own pinpoint crosses. But it was, crucially, decisive.
Another example comes from the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg; here he is bursting into space through the middle to receive the ball…
…before sliding it through for Dominik Szoboszlai to finish.
The obvious caveat to Bradley’s potential though is his worrying injury record, which has seen him miss 40 games, and counting, over the last two seasons with back and hamstring issues.
Alexander-Arnold has not been immune missing 23 games since the start of last season, but the Reds have had Bradley in reserve and it’s fair to say the back-up quality would not be the same if he were to move up the ranks.
Availability is one of the biggest assets a player can boast and Bradley’s susceptibility to injuries will not be lost on Slot when he considers Liverpool’s future at right-back.
How it all fits
Bradley initially developed as an archetypal Jurgen Klopp full-back, hurtling up and down the wing and whipping in crosses from out wide.
But for club and country in the last 12 months, he’s developed his positional sense and his close control.
While he’s still learning, Bradley now has the ability also to play between the width of the goal posts – either supporting or finishing off the attack.
When Liverpool lose the incredible passing range of Alexander-Arnold next season, they’ll need to find other ways of creating space for their forwards.
Slot ideally wants a full-back who is equally comfortable playing inside or outside of the opponent’s defensive shape. He’s already used Bradley this way on the right – links with the likes of Milos Kerkez and Jorrel Hato suggest he wants that flexibility on the left, too.
Bradley will likely never become the new Alexander-Arnold. But being the ‘first’ Conor Bradley is enough for Slot to remake the team without Alexander-Arnold, should he have to.
