Trent Alexander-Arnold criticised by Spanish media after Celta Vigo struggles
Trent Alexander-Arnold has faced intense scrutiny from the Spanish press following his performance in Real Madrid’s narrow 2-1 victory over Celta Vigo.
The England international completed a high-profile move from Liverpool to the Bernabeu last season but has found life difficult in the Spanish capital so far.
While Real Madrid secured three points thanks to a 94th-minute winner from Federico Valverde, the right-back’s defensive display dominated the post-match analysis.
Defensive lapses highlighted
Alexander-Arnold played the full 90 minutes but struggled to impact the game at either end of the pitch.
He was highlighted as the primary fault for Celta Vigo’s equaliser, allowing Williot Swedberg to bypass him on the flank before setting up Borja Iglesias.
The 27-year-old has now played 13 La Liga matches, registering just two assists and failing to score, leading to growing frustration regarding his output.
Spanish journalist Albert Ortega offered a particularly scathing assessment of the defender’s work rate on social media following the match.
“The problem with Trent Alexander-Arnold isn’t that he doesn’t know how to defend. It’s that he can’t be arsed to bother.”
Albert Ortega, Spanish Journalist
Ortega added that the full-back “only understands football from the ball” and described his performance as a “right disaster”.
Media ratings reflect poor form
The criticism was not isolated to social media, with major Spanish outlets handing the former Liverpool man low match ratings.
Football Espana awarded the defender a 4/10, noting that his offensive production does not currently justify his defensive vulnerabilities.
The outlet stated that he “hooked in several wayward crosses” and was beaten “too easily” for the equaliser.
Managing Madrid offered a slightly higher score of 5/10 but observed that aside from one pass to Vinicius Junior, he was not his “usual self” in possession.
This latest wave of criticism follows a difficult outing in the Champions League play-off against Benfica, where local reports described his marking as “nonexistent”.
