We are going through the first double gameweek of the season, where the two Merseyside clubs Liverpool and Everton have a game extra. Thanks to their impressive form this season, the prices of the assets from Anfield have shot up before GW24 due to high demand. Apart from Md. Salah and Cody Gakpo, England international Trent Alexander-Arnold too found himself in a lot of teams.
It was during the 70th minute of the Bournemouth match, when TAA felt discomfort in his knees and asked his manager to take him off. Liverpool won the match convincingly and stretched the lead to 6pts over second-placed Arsenal, with a game in hand.
The incident not only sent shock waves inside the Liverpool dressing room but also raised the alarm bells in fantasy communities. TAA is one of the most proven assets in the game and had an exciting run of fixtures starting from GW24. He was rested in the midweek UCL defeat against PSV with their last-16 fate already sealed.
Arnold fared well against Bournemouth and registered 6pts. However, his forced substitution led to worrying faces among the Liverpool think tank. Slot expressed his concern immediately after the match: “The situation was that Trent said to me, ‘You have to take me off’ and he sat on the floor. He felt something. I can’t tell you exactly what or how bad it is because it’s only an hour after the game.”
The Liverpool boss also added, “But it’s never a good sign when a player is asking for a substitution. I would be surprised if he plays on Thursday. Let’s hope he’s back with us as soon as possible.”
He underwent a scan and now there’s a huge sense of relief after the reports set aside the speculation of a long spell nursing his knee injury on the sidelines. It also brings back smiles on the faces of his owners in FPL, as TAA comes with a huge price-tag and has great prospects in the coming gameweeks in terms of fantasy points.
Arnold has a fixture remaining in gameweek 24, against Everton at Goodison Park. He should be okay for this, as Liverpool has two more games in between. They face Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday at home in the second leg semi-final of the Carabao Cup, where Ange’s men have a slender one goal lead. And come Sunday next, they have a trip to Plymouth Argyle in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
I expect Slot to continue with Conor Bradley for these two cup games and rest TAA. The Everton match is on February 12, by which Arnold should be fit enough to don his iconic no.66 shirt. And so far as gameweek 25 is concerned, which could be another double gameweek for Slot’s men if they manage to beat Spurs on Thursday night, Arnold should be more than okay to operate from the right channel.
Arnold has a goal and six assists, until now. I also own the English full-back and can vouch for him in FPL going forward. TAA is a must-have now and should continue to fly high with Liverpool moving closer to a second PL title.