Trent Alexander-Arnold's reunion with Liverpool teammate Harvey Elliott did not go to plan, with both players unused substitutes in Real Madrid's victory over Valencia. The La Liga clash saw two teams at opposite ends of the table go head-to-head, and it was no surprise that Real were comfortable winners.
Goals from Fede Valverde, Arda Guler and Kylian Mbappe helped Jose Mourinho's side go level on points with Barcelona, while another defeat has left Valencia in the bottom three. Their only win from the last six matches came when Elliott was suspended after picking up two yellow cards, with his nightmare loan spell only getting worse.
Alexander-Arnold's limited minutes
Alexander-Arnold is facing similar difficulties in the Spanish capital, having played just 143 minutes since the September-October international break. He played the entirety of the win over Racing Santander last weekend but did not get any minutes against AEK Athens in the Champions League or on Saturday evening at Valencia.
He and Elliott would have likely been hoping to go up against each other, but that scenario did not play out, with the pair forced to watch on from the sidelines. Elliott's chances of getting back into the fold appear slim, having barely featured since his temporary move.
Alexander-Arnold is also facing an uphill battle to reclaim his place in the side despite earning an England call-up earlier this week. Summer signing Denzel Dumfries isn't getting much game time either at present, with Valverde the one occupying the right-back role.
Valverde's standout display
Having found the net against AEK in midweek, the Uruguayan was amongst the goals once more as he broke the deadlock against Valencia with a well-executed finish. The Spanish media have lavished praise upon his display, which won't make for pleasant reading for Alexander-Arnold.
Marca's assessment of Valverde almost feels as though it is rubbing salt into the former Liverpool vice-captain's wounds. Awarding Valverde a nine in its player ratings, the Spanish publication stated: "He gives the team a lot of width, work rate, and playmaking ability in the middle. The Uruguayan has it all in this position... and, I dare say, he's the best right-back in the world. Or at least the most complete of them all."
That assessment was echoed in its match report: "Another goal from Fede. Against AEK he sealed the comeback in stoppage time, and at Mestalla he opened the scoring. Both goals were trademark strikes. Mourinho has brought out the best in Fede Valverde, and he's done it by playing him in the position he didn't want to play, but where he performs best: right-back. He'll end up being the best right-back in the world."
AS also joined in, and while they stopped short of matching its rival publication, it still makes for difficult reading where Alexander-Arnold is concerned. "And speaking of 'always,' Valverde scores from the edge of the box. That's how the deadlock was broken, as it has so many times before," it wrote. "He pounced on a rebound and fired it across goal, straight into the net. He did it in Athens, and also at Mestalla. And for the rest of his match, he was tireless. Without neglecting his own half, he practically lived in the opposition's half (more than 60% of his passes were in the opposition's half). Only Messi (34) and Aspas (20) have scored more league goals from outside the box than his 16 since the Uruguayan's debut in 2017, according to MisterChip. Back then he was a little bird, now he's a hawk unleashed."
That will offer little comfort to Alexander-Arnold, who will undoubtedly have believed he was heading to Madrid last year to cement himself as the club's first-choice right-back for years to come. By all accounts, his most optimistic outlook now is a back-up role behind Valverde, with the worst-case scenario being that he has slipped to third choice altogether.
