'Wants me to improve' - Trent Alexander-Arnold offers insight after being 'blown away' by Arne Slot

Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold has opened up on his relationship with new head coach Arne Slot — and the work that he is doing behind the scenes to further improve his game on the training pitch.

"He is strict with me and I like that," Alexander-Arnold told the TV channel Viaplay (transcribed by Feyenoord Pings). "He helps me with the weak points in my game, and he wants me to improve. He tells me where to stand to get the ball. You don’t get the ball there because someone will mark you, so why would you stand there?

"And if you are marked and other people come in and Ryan Gravenberch is marked, there is space behind him, and you look for depth. He always studies the opponent thoroughly and tells us where their weak spots are. Then we have to punish them on the field. The training sessions are much more intensive."

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Jurgen Klopp left Liverpool in the summer but Slot has made a very positive impact on the players so far. Last week, TV chef Simon Rimmer revealed that Alexander-Arnold had told him he has been "blown away" by the new coach so far.

"The spaces are much smaller," the Reds' number 66 continued. "It’s a very Dutch way of playing in terms of ball handling. You always have to play to the back foot. If you don’t, he stops the session. Why do you pass to that foot and not to his back foot? It’s that detailed."

Liverpool.com says: The methods appear to be working so far. Slot has overseen 13 wins from 15 games to date with Liverpool and his team looks really well set up.

That was most clearly evident against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Three matches into the new era, the Reds already looked much better coached that their opponent under Erik ten Hag, who has since been fired after just over two years in the role.