Rio Ferdinand sends advice to Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold after Real Madrid blunder

Rio Ferdinand has advised Trent Alexander-Arnold to ‘go back to basics’ after his blunder in Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie on Tuesday.

The full-back’s feeble header from Toni Kroos’ lofted pass fell straight into the path of Marco Asensio who flicked the ball over Alisson and tapped into an empty to put Madrid 2-0 up on the night.

Alexander-Arnold has been a key part of the Reds’ success over recent seasons but hasn’t been able to reach those dizzying heights in what has proven to be a difficult campaign for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

The 22-year-old’s dip in form caused Gareth Southgate to drop him from his England squad for March’s World Cup qualifiers and Manchester United legend Ferdinand thinks he has to focus on simplifying his game.

‘Hopefully, they’ll learn from this and I think we’ve all been there at those young stages of our careers,’ Ferdinand told BT Sport.

‘Trent Alexander-Arnold, he’s going to be seeing things now, he had a great run, he’s under a bit of pressure now, it’s about learning.

‘I’ve been in the position when you make mistakes and you look back, these are elementary, fundamentals, that you should have locked down in your game because you’re playing at that level.

‘But sometimes you have to reset, look at it, go back to basics and simplify my game a bit, especially from the defending perspective.

‘Things will be alright, I’m sure things will turn around for him, but he’s got to see that, work it out and then go on.’

Joe Cole, meanwhile, believes Alexander-Arnold has suffered due to the absence of Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, who is out injured.

‘I think he’s missed Henderson massively, Trent,’ the ex-Chelsea and Liverpool winger added. ‘You underestimate the job Henderson does with his legs, he has the ability so Trent isn’t second guessing when he goes forward.

‘Now, he’s worried, and that split second of doubt puts him in an uncomfortable position and then the confidence goes.’

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