Arne Slot says he recognizes patterns in the goals Liverpool have conceded this season, but they are not down to right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Alexander-Arnold endured a miserable outing during the Reds' 2-2 draw with Manchester United in the Premier League and was heavily criticized for his performance at Anfield.
The England international gave the ball away with a loose pass into midfield, which was ruthlessly punished by Lisandro Martinez, who scored the opening goal.
Despite Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah putting Liverpool ahead, Amad Diallo scored a late equalizer after another attack down the Reds' right.
During their match against Liverpool, 54.6% of the Red Devils' attacks came from the left, with teams looking to exploit Alexander-Arnold's defensive capabilities over the years.
In fact, Liverpool's opponents have 44% of their touches in the left third of the attacking areas. This would equal Liverpool, which is the highest ratio in the Premier League.
The percentage of opposition chances from Liverpool's right is 35.7%, while it is 38.1% from the middle third and 26.2% from the Reds' left.
“I do see a certain pattern in the goals we concede, but I don't see the pattern when it comes to Trent. Not at all,” said Slot.
“Trent had a difficult match for us [in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United at Anfield] and maybe a few that were fair to good.
“He has especially had great games when he played for us this season.”
Alexander-Arnold, who has been linked with a move to Real Madrid, came on as a substitute in Liverpool's 1-0 defeat to Tottenham in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
Despite only replacing Conor Bradley in the 60th minute, Alexander-Arnold played 19 passes into the final third, a total surpassed only by Ryan Gravenberch (21).
He also came close to giving Liverpool the lead when his rasping drive was brilliantly cleared off the line by Radu Dragusin before Lucas Bergvall struck the winner.
“I know there is a lot of focus on him at the moment, but I would also like to emphasize the focus on how well he did when he came on in the last half hour. [against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday] and how our fans responded to him. That's what I liked even more during that match,” Slot concluded.
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