Former Liverpool right back Trent Alexander-Arnold has endured a nightmare couple of days at Real Madrid, after he was omitted from the starting XI for the Atletico Madrid Derby by Alvaro Arbeloa.
Indeed, the former Liverpool star would only be introduced into the fiery contest with 26 minutes remaining of normal time, as Los Blancos gained the bragging rights against their arch rivals with a thrilling 3-2 victory.
He did manage to chip in with an assist, as Vinicius Jr picked up a crucial brace to steer the La Liga giants to their 22nd league win of the season.
The chase with Barcelona right at the very top of the division is an enthralling watch, as is all the latest developments surrounding Alexander-Arnold in the Spanish capital, post his heartbreaking Anfield exit.
Omitted from the England national team announcement, with Thomas Tuchel offering his reasons for the snub, it’s clear that he isn’t in the good books of Arbeloa either, who punished the 27-year-old with only a substitute appearance against Atletico Madrid, after a code of conduct was allegedly broken.
Alexander-Arnold’s code of conduct break
It has been a bumpy ride for the former Liverpool homegrown product ever since he waved goodbye to his boyhood club for a move to Madrid.
The number 12 has shown flashes of his brilliance at the Santiago Bernabeu, as evidenced by him bursting forward with pace to set up Vinicius Jr, to beat Diego Simeone’s stern away side.
In total, he has five assists next to his name in Madrid, as a livewire ready to change games at a moment’s notice.
Alexander-Arnold’s numbers at Madrid (La Liga/Champions League):
| Category | La Liga | Champions League | Total (All comps) |
| Appearances | 14 | 7 | 25 |
| Starts | 8 | 6 | 19 |
| Minutes played | 637 mins | 450 mins | 1530 mins |
| Goals | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Assists | 3 | 0 | 3 |
But, he just keeps finding himself out of the starting XI, with only eight La Liga starts coming his way this season.
The on-the-fringes defender had to make do with another spot on the bench against Atletico.
Yet, this time around, it wasn’t for a drop in performance levels.
Rather, as Spanish publication Marca has reported, Alexander-Arnold “arrived late to one of the final training sessions of the week” ahead of the Madrid Derby taking place, leading to Arbeloa taking decisive action.
Consequently, Arbeloa felt it necessary to send a “clear message, with a decision focused on discipline and dressing room order.”
The Madrid boss hailed the impact Alexander-Arnold made on the tight contest when he was introduced late on, noting that he is “lucky” to have so many good options.
But, he was adamant that the starting XI choices were down to choosing “the best starting eleven” available to him, with the experience of Dani Carvajal preferred from the get-go, instead of the attack-minded number 12.
There has to be some regret on the 27-year-old’s end now that he ditched Anfield for a chance at glory in Madrid, with his long-term future in Spain surely up in the air, if he continues to be discarded at the drop of a hat.
