Ben Foster has suggested that one man at Anfield made a grievous error during Liverpool’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal on Sunday.
In the 24 hours after the final whistle, the overriding topic of discussion from the game was the response of the home crowd towards Trent Alexander-Arnold in the wake of him confirming that he’s leaving the Reds on a free transfer this summer.
While Micah Richards was keen to point out that some supporters applauded the 26-year-old onto the pitch, there were also unmistakable boos directed towards the LFC vice-captain as many Kopites vented their fury at the manner in which he’s walking out on his hometown club.
Foster questions Slot substitution
Speaking on the latest episode of The Football Fill-In, Foster lamented the negative reaction from home fans towards the Liverpool right-back and questioned Arne Slot for bringing him on midway through the second half at a time when the Reds were winning 2-1 and the atmosphere was still celebratory.
The former England goalkeeper said: “Do you think Arne Slot was a bit out of order putting him on? As soon as I saw that it was happening, I thought ‘What are you doing that for?’”
Did Slot err in judgement by bring on Alexander-Arnold?
The LFC head coach stood over his decision to bring Alexander-Arnold off the bench, as he felt that the 26-year-old could help his team to win the match, and the right-back put in a teasing late cross which narrowly evaded Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota.
However, there was a defining change in the overall mood at Anfield when the substitution was made, and privately Slot may be wondering if he’d have been better off keeping the Reds’ vice-captain out of view, rather than exposing him to a negative reaction from many in attendance at Anfield.
Of course it’s the Dutchman’s right to decide what changes he wants to make and when, and his use of the bench has often been quite effective this season, not least during that week in January when Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez came on to score vital goals away to Nottingham Forest and Brentford respectively.
Also, it’s not the 46-year-old’s fault that Alexander-Arnold kept silent about his future for so long and seemingly spoke to Real Madrid on the sly even before he was free to communicate with other clubs from the beginning of January.
Thankfully, all of that will be pushed aside on Sunday week when Slot, his backroom staff and his players will be parading the Premier League trophy around an exultant Anfield!
