Andy Robertson shares why Trent Alexander-Arnold got different treatment than him at Liverpool.
Former Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson recently shared his thoughts on how he and Trent Alexander-Arnold were praised and criticized differently during their time at Anfield.
On the podcast The Overlap, Robertson talked about how the two full-backs had very different experiences with the fans and media. He called Trent, who moved from Liverpool to Real Madrid in 2025, “an incredible one-on-one defender” at his best. He also said he sometimes felt sorry for Trent because of the pressure he faced.
Robertson and Alexander-Arnold played together as Liverpool’s full-backs and reached the 2018 Champions League final in their first full season. After losing in Kiev, they bounced back to win the European trophy in 2019, and came close to Manchester City in the 2018-19 Premier League season with 97 points. In 2020, Liverpool won the league title with 99 points, and both full-backs were among the top assist makers in the league.
Although they were often evenly matched going forward, Robertson explained, “I always told Trent, ‘I’ll never get as much praise as you, but I’ll never get as much criticism as you.’” He pointed out that their defensive styles were different, which influenced how they were judged.
Robertson said, “I had help from Sadio Mane, who was aggressive and would cover if I missed a tackle.” On the other hand, Trent often relied on teammates like Jordan Henderson to support him, which sometimes made things tougher for him. “With Mo Salah, we didn’t want him coming back towards our box. So, it was very different. I really started to feel sorry for Trent sometimes.”
He also touched on how being English affected the kind of attention Trent got. “Because he’s English, there’s a lot more focus. I always told him, ‘You get more praise and more criticism than I do.’”
Robertson praised Trent’s defensive skills on the big stage, calling him “an unbelievable one-on-one defender,” especially in tough European matches. During the 2017-18 Champions League campaign, Trent averaged 2.5 tackles per game and won nearly seven duels per match. In the final, despite Liverpool’s 3-1 loss, the 19-year-old Trent made seven ball recoveries, had four key defensive actions, and kept a perfect tackle record.
Robertson added, “I’ve seen him shut down top players like Kylian Mbappe. He was amazing in those big games.” While Trent sometimes made mistakes, Robertson feels it’s unfair that he’s had a reputation for being a weak defender since early on, saying, “It’s like he can’t shake that label.”
Despite his strong performances, Trent has had fewer opportunities with the England national team and is currently playing in Spain, where his form hasn’t been great. He’s still part of Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad, but his future remains uncertain.
Overall, Robertson’s words show a lot of respect for his former Liverpool teammate, while also shedding light on the different ways they were seen by fans and critics.