As Trent Alexander-Arnold’s move to Real Madrid transitioned from an “if” to a “when,” his eventual departure posed a unique set of problems for Liverpool to solve. The England international may have his faults, but at his boyhood club, he had evolved into one of the game’s greatest wingbacks – and a unique one at that. Finding a successor to fill Alexander-Arnold’s role was a more sound strategy than finding a direct replacement, but the Reds hit the sweet spot by signing Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen, landing a player who was as close to a like-for-like swap as they could possibly find. Anything more than a superficial glance, though, reveals that Alexander-Arnold and Frimpong have overlapping but different tactical profiles.
The pair are well-suited to play right wingback for attack-minded teams and have done so excellently before their summer transfers, and both players are subject to criticism that defending falls lower on the list of their priorities than it should. Alexander-Arnold and Frimpong fall in those categories, though, because of their varied skillsets and the different tactical attributes they bring to their teams. Liverpool are unlikely to look exactly the same on the right flank this season as they did during their title-winning campaign, and not only because the club splashed more than $300 million on attackers that will completely change their goalscoring strategy. The Reds are not actually trying to replace Alexander-Arnold with one person, but updating their approach to account for his absence.
As their wobbly defensive shape during preseason has demonstrated, Liverpool may not have all the answers to the big questions about squad balance and defending their Premier League title, but manager Arne Slot is building a new-look team for the new season, even if they are sticking true to the attack-minded approach that has defined the team for the last decade. Frimpong will be a crucial part of those plans, regardless of how much he does – or does not – resemble Alexander-Arnold in a tactical sense.
A tale of two right wingbacks
There is one key difference between Alexander-Arnold and Frimpong, at least in this stage of their careers – the former is more of a creative player, while the latter is essentially an out-and-out winger. Frimpong had limited defensive responsibilities for Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen, the manager instead letting the player’s directness serve as his defining attribute. He averaged 4.11 progressive carriers per game last season and ranks in the 97th percentile for fullbacks in Europe’s top five leagues and genuinely has a nose for goal – he had 30 goals and 44 assists in 190 matches for Leverkusen and last season averaged 0.18 non-penalty expected goals, landing in the 98th percentile. A quick look at how Liverpool played in the Community Shield reveals Slot values those aspects in Frimpong, too, eager to join the attack and overwhelm Palace’s defense with sheer numbers.
Frimpong’s output may remind you of Alexander-Arnold’s, but his goal and assist numbers are better. The Liverpool newcomer is inside the 90th percentile or higher for goals, assists and non-penalty expected goals while the Real Madrid player is in the 70th and 80th percentiles in those categories. That is also because Alexander-Arnold’s expertise is elsewhere – he is more creatively inclined than Frimpong and is much, much more comfortable making a pass. The England international is in the 97th percentile for passes attempted with an average of 71.8 per game in the last year and the 99th percentile for progressive passes with 8.52 per game. Frimpong is in the fourth percentile in both categories, as clear a signal as any that their styles are fairly different.
The approaches are equally efficient as long as the players are utilized appropriately, which was the case last season and seems likely to continue at their respective new clubs. Frimpong averaged 0.35 non-penalty expected goals and assists last season and fell in the 97th percentile, while Alexander-Arnold was not far behind in the 94th percentile with an average of 0.31.
Two defenders who don’t defend?
For all of his talents, Alexander-Arnold was frequently bogged down by comments that he was unreliable in defense. It is hard to argue against the claim that defensive skill is not his trademark but he is not unlike other attack-minded right wingbacks in that regard. Players like Alexander-Arnold – and Frimpong, for that matter – are designed to be bolstered by center backs and defensive midfielders to restore the balance in the team. Even then, Alexander-Arnold boasts some of the usual attributes one might look for in a defender, namely the fact that he sits in the 85th percentile for tackles per match (2.63) and in the 77th percentile for interceptions (1.19).
His defensive style varies greatly from Frimpong’s, who was essentially allowed to opt out of defending by Alonso at Leverkusen. That approach inspired criticism from Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman, who cited Frimpong’s nonexistent defensive performances as a reason to exclude from a roster in 2023. “He plays almost as a right winger,” Koeman said at the time. “My right-back should be able to defend well in the first place and I have my doubts about that.”
Frimpong’s defensive contributions – or lack thereof – during his Leverkusen days recontextualize Alexander-Arnold’s work at Liverpool. Last season, 48% of Alexander-Arnold’s touches were in the defensive half compared to Frimpong’s 22%, while Frimpong lands in the fifth percentile for tackles per game (1.13) and third percentile for interceptions (0.38). The Netherlands international exists in the extremes compared to Alexander-Arnold, offering more goals but perhaps trading that for defensive inexperience. How Liverpool solve that problem could make or break their season – their loss in the Community Shield showcases an imbalance, the scale tilting way too much in the attack’s favor.
