Vinícius vs. Alexander-Arnold or the duel that could decide Real’s eight-final match against Liverpool

Real Madrid vs. Liverpool, in detail Vinícius Junior vs. Trent Alexander-Arnold. It’s the duel between the young Brazilian and the Reds right back that could decide the entire Champions League semi-final.

Liverpool’s first task – to defend Karim Benzema. Although the Ballon d’Or winner is extremely difficult to guard, it doesn’t cause Jürgen Klopp that many wrinkles because he has Virgil Van Dijk at stopper.

Much more worrying for Klopp will be the duel between Vinicius Junior and Trent Alexander-Arnold. It’s no secret that the England full-back is at times woefully poor and inconsistent defensively, culminating in goals for the opposition.

Towards the offensive end, TAA has a lot going for him, he plays standard situations brilliantly thanks to his amazing kicking technique, his centres are extremely dangerous but the defence is sometimes forgotten.

Final 2022

Even eight months ago in the Champions League final, this duel was a theme. And indeed, it decided the match. In the 59th minute, Federico Valverde headed the ball down the right side, raised his head and saw Vinícius at the other end of the whitewash.

However, Alexander-Arnold was completely unaware of him and the Brazilian swam behind him and cleared the ball into the empty net.

Quarter-final 2021

Also in the quarter-finals in the 2020/21 season, Real Madrid punished the Reds just down their left flank. Indeed, Klopp’s charges arrived in Madrid with their defence stretched high, but long balls beyond Alexander-Arnold decided the game. In the match played in Valdebebas, TAA had overall problems defending the opponent.

Right at the start of the game, they were schoolboyishly hacked by Mendy who crossed into the box and Vinícius’ header went just wide of the bar. Moments later, the Reds had already cashed in. Vinícius received a millimetre pass from Kroos between Alexander-Arnold and Philips, worked the ball onto his chest and scored.

That the passes for Arnold were not by chance but by a well thought out tactic was shown in the following minutes. Kroos’s long ball to Mendy this time TAA caught and headed home the little one to the keeper, only for Asensio to catch it, outmuscle Alisson and score.

The Liverpool right-back also had a hand in Real’s third goal. Notice how he has Vinícius covered at the start of the action, but the Brazilian takes a couple of steps forward to set up Modric’s pass. However, Arnold inexplicably takes a step back instead of catching up with Vinícius, even though he has no one else around him. The Real left winger finishes comfortably to increase the score to 3-1.

Benzema’s rebound

If you look again at Real’s second goal from Asensio, you’ll notice one interesting moment. This was not a random action, but a well-prepared strategy.

Benzema bounces off the stoppers into the midfield, pulling the Liverpool defence up a few steps. But it’s mostly Vinícius, in this case Mendy, waiting on the left wing. Kroos waits for the right moment and sends the ball beyond the advancing defence, with the winger on the left side having a significant advantage going forward.

This is exactly what Liverpool need to avoid, as Benzema does it often enough. He bounces between the defenders and midfielders so he doesn’t have to fight the stoppers for the ball. This evokes the stoppers to come out, only it opens up space behind them, where Vinícius and Valverde or Rodrygo are already starting.

TAA attacking?

Although Alexander-Arnold is not having a successful season and even the stats he had otherwise brilliant have fallen off quite a bit, he still remains one of the Reds’ most creative players.

So the question arises whether or not Klopp will take away his attacking duties a little bit. In fact, Vinícius stays almost in the middle when defending and doesn’t come back much. Counter attacks into such an open defence would be lethal for Liverpool.

Third try

Alexander-Arnold had two attempts to stop Vinícius, neither of which worked. In the first game the Brazilian scored twice, the second time he decided the final with a single goal.

Now the Englishman will have a third try. To prove he’s not as bad at defending as everyone keeps telling him. The duel between Vinícius and Alexander-Arnold could decide the entire eight finals. Whoever is more successful will give his team a huge advantage.

Source: UEFA, Youtube