The Spanish verdict

Former Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold made his Real Madrid debut in their underwhelming 1-1 draw with Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in their Club World Cup opener, and his performance received a kicking from the notoriously unforgiving Spanish media.

“An amazing day to make my debut for Real Madrid, almost what every player dreams of,” Alexander-Arnold told DAZN in his post-match interview.

“Incredible, I felt the support from the moment I signed for the club. Sensational. The fanbase is truly global all over the world. You feel it every single day.”

Here’s how the Spanish media judged his Los Blancos debut:

‘Never looked comfortable’

“Xabi Alonso positioned him inside with the ball, but he never looked comfortable or created any advantage,” wrote Sergi Capdevila in Sport (translated), giving the defender a 5/10 in his player ratings.

“Physically far from his best, it wasn’t the best debut for the Englishman, who also failed to contribute offensively.”

‘Lacklustre’

“Lack of offensive brilliance and some defensive weaknesses. The match was sluggish, and the play ended with an Al Hilal goal ruled out for offside,” was the first-half verdict from JL Calderon, writing for Marca.

“Very lacklustre. He continued to play very little in his strong suit, attacking play. It was a lacklustre debut,” it continued, giving Alexander-Arnold a 5/10 for both halves.

“I don’t know how you saw it on TV, but Trent getting out of the way during the Al Hilal counterattack … it left me speechless,” responded reporter Joel Del Rio in the same outlet’s live matchblog.

‘Struggled to make an impact’

5/10 seems to be the consensus. That’s the score given in Football Espana‘s player ratings, with the verdict:

“There has been much talk about Trent Alexander-Arnold ahead of his debut, but it was an underwhelming one. He was not at his best defensively, and he struggled to make an impact in attack before being substituted.”

‘Badly exposed’

“Not the best debut. Some of his passing was loose, and he was badly exposed defensively.”

GOAL also gave him a 5/10.

‘A modest debut’

It’s worth taking this translation from Madrid fansite Defensa Central with a pinch of salt, but you get the gist from writer Lucas Cardenas:

“It was a great first appearance at the FIFA Club World Cup, where the former Liverpool player finally turned out for the club. He struggled a bit in the first half, but he was good at clearing the ball and with a foot that was clearly a glove.

“A modest debut, and while there’s still much to improve, it confirms the profile of the player he has brought to the club.”

The score? You guessed it. 5/10.

‘Underwhelming’

“Out of place defensively and his on-ball play wasn’t up to his elite standard. Underwhelming debut but he did kickstart the play which led to Gonzalo Garcia’s goal.”

Another Madrid fansite, Managing Madrid, was a bit more forgiving. They gave him a 6/10.

‘Out of position’

Kiyan Sobhani from Managing Madrid watched the game in Miami and expanded on his thoughts on their YouTube channel:

“I thought he was a mixed bag today, but mostly underwhelming in his first game. It was a bit of a rough game.

“Offensively, he didn’t look as sharp, although he did have an important pass in the build-up to the goal.

“I think his touches looked a little bit off. His passing looked a little bit off. He delayed some of his passes unnecessarily.

“Defensively, he’s out of position. This is not a surprise. But I wanted to bring up in the first half how chaotic it was, because in the build-up phase, Trent takes up an inverted right-back role, meaning he drifts centrally as an outlet. In that situation, if the team loses possession, your right-back is immediately out of the picture.”

READ: Alexander-Arnold among 5 Real Madrid players who supported Barcelona as a youngster

‘Very little presence’

“Little presence. Very little. He’s assumed to have little talent in defence,” wrote Fernando S. Tavero for AS.

“And Madrid didn’t sign him to be a lock (he was ineffective in the disallowed goal against Al Hilal). But he did sign him to be decisive in the build-up. At times, he tried to appear between the lines, in a central position and ahead of the other three defenders. But without any real impact. Transparent in attack on his first day in the office.”

‘Went from strength to strength’

The reviews weren’t unanimously negative, at least. One outlet deemed he got better as the match progressed.

“The Englishman made his debut as a starter for Real Madrid and went from strength to strength until his physical condition gave out,” was the brief write-up in Mundo Deportivo.

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