Football writer Adrian Clarke identifies the key players, team tactics and where matches could be won and lost in Matchweek 34.
Player analysis: Trent Alexander-Arnold and Conor Bradley (Liverpool)
Trent Alexander-Arnold's terrific winning goal and passionate celebration at Leicester City have caused quite a stir in recent days.
With his future at Liverpool still uncertain, Arne Slot’s use of the right-back who will soon be out of contract has divided opinion.
Anfield legend Jamie Carragher went as far as to say: "If Trent hasn’t committed to the manager for next season, he shouldn’t be starting games."
So, with Alexander-Arnold fully fit again, Slot has a dilemma over team selection for the visit of Tottenham Hotspur, on an afternoon when Liverpool could be crowned champions.
Ahead of that encounter, how does Alexander-Arnold compare with his highly-rated understudy Conor Bradley?
What does Bradley do better than Trent?
The outstanding quality shown by Alexander-Arnold since emerging from the Liverpool Academy to make his debut in 2016 marks him down as one of the best, and most unique, right-backs in world football.
Therefore, it feels a little unfair on 21-year-old Bradley to draw firm parallels.
As far as this season has been concerned though, the Northern Irishman has shown a little more attacking dynamism than his vastly experienced team-mate.
Bradley has displayed plenty of ambition and attacking zest, and is perhaps more comfortable at running with the ball at his feet.
That drive has taken Bradley into the opposition penalty area with far greater frequency than Alexander-Arnold, averaging 5.8 touches in that domain per 90 minutes.
This is way in advance of the England international, who averages 1.9 touches.
How their attacking stats compare
| Premier League 2024/25 | Bradley | Alexander-Arnold |
| Dribbles attempted per 90 | 2.7 | 1.2 |
|---|---|---|
| Dribbles completed per 90 | 1.0 | 0.5 |
| Touches in opposition box per 90 | 5.8 | 1.9 |
A prime example of what Bradley brings to the side was seen when he produced his first assist of the campaign for Luis Diaz away to Fulham.
Showing good game intelligence, Bradley stepped infield, a little like Alexander-Arnold does, to demand a pass that freed him up in space down the centre of the pitch.
From there, Bradley drove forward at speed, carrying the ball to the edge of the box before slipping Diaz in for a shot on goal.
It was a quality piece of play that marks him out as being different in style to Alexander-Arnold, a player who tends to hurt rival teams more with his brilliant passing.
Positional differences
Slot has been less inclined than predecessor Jurgen Klopp to ask Alexander-Arnold to take up central midfield positions.
But it is the younger man who powers on up the pitch with a lot more regularity.
So, when you analyse the Englishman’s heat map and compare it with Bradley’s below, they are actually pretty similar.
Trent is more inclined to drift further infield, and he does more defensive work inside his own box than Bradley.
How their heat maps compare
Trent: a master of his craft
When it comes to whipping dangerous crosses into the box, opening up the opposition with an incisive pass, or switching the point of attack with a raking long ball, there is no one to compare with Alexander-Arnold.
His distribution is tremendous and, in that regard, he is arguably the world’s best right-back.
His creative numbers compared to those of Bradley, who has played around a quarter of the minutes this season, are extremely wide apart.
How their creative output compares
| Total in PL 2024/25 | Bradley | Alexander-Arnold |
| Minutes played | 526 | 2,176 |
|---|---|---|
| Open-play crosses | 5 | 89 |
| Successful open-play crosses | 1 | 23 |
| Chances created from open play | 5 | 40 |
| Chances created from set pieces | 0 | 10 |
| Big chances created | 2 | 14 |
| Goals scored | 0 | 3 |
| Assists | 1 | 6 |
| Successful long passes | 4 | 118 |
So, if Alexander-Arnold does leave Liverpool when his current contract expires this summer, there is no real possibility that Bradley can step in and replicate exactly the same output from right-back.
A change of style and expectancy would be required from Liverpool’s right-back in 2025/26.
This shot and assist graphic signifies what the Reds could be losing in Alexander-Arnold:
Bradley offers solidity
Alexander-Arnold’s defending has often been unfairly criticised, and he has undoubtedly made good strides in that aspect of his play.
Yet the raw statistics do still tell us that when it comes to duels, on the ground and in the air, it is Bradley who offers a touch more reliability and strength.
How their defensive statistics compare
| Premier League 2024/25 | Bradley | Alexander-Arnold |
| Duel success % | 50.8% | 46.9% |
|---|---|---|
| Aerial duel success % | 53.9% | 20.0% |
| Duels won per 90 | 5.8 | 3.8 |
| Pressures per 90 | 16.6 | 10.5 |
| Dribbled past per 90 | 1.4 | 2.2 |
The Northern Ireland international wins a greater number of 50-50s, and is especially good at pressurising opponents when they have the ball at their feet.
He will close players down with a lot of enthusiasm.
In 1v1s it is also the less experienced player who proves tougher to beat with a dribble.
Looking ahead
No matter what happens regarding Alexander-Arnold’s future, his many outstanding contributions as a super-creative full-back will live long in the memory of Liverpool’s supporters.
Given the trophies he has helped the club win, he should be remembered as an Anfield legend.
Superb across the last nine seasons, ever since breaking through as a teenager, his place in Liverpool’s folklore is assured.
Bradley is not a like-for-like stand-in, but given Trent's quality, who could be?
Yet the 21-year-old does still have plenty to offer, even if it means Slot’s Liverpool will have to compensate for a possible departure in other areas of the pitch.
