Trent Alexander-Arnold faced a tough examination of his defensive qualities
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Vinicius Junior sealed the victory with 10 minutes remaining as he drove a clinical finish across goal to seal an unconvincing triumph for Alvaro Arbeloa’s side, who entered the second leg heavily depleted.
Benfica had earlier threatened to unsettle Madrid, taking the lead through Rafa Silva after a scramble involving Thibaut Courtois. But parity was restored within two minutes as Aurelien Tchouameni curled home his first Champions League goal.
Without the injured Kylian Mbappe, Real lacked some fluency and Benfica remained a threat – with Alexander-Arnold given a stiff examination which raised questions again over his inclusion based on his defensive prowess.
On TNT Sports, Joe Cole pinpointed the tactical contrast at the heart of the debate.
“It’s how they use him tactically, as he’s a very different player to [Dani Carvajal],” Cole said. “There’s a simple one-two around the corner, and Benfica are nearly in.
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‘Didn’t cover himself in glory’ – Alexander-Arnold’s defensive struggles analysed
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“I know how good a player he is, but these are the situations, when you’re at Real Madrid, and you’ve got a six-time Champions League winner on the bench waiting to come on.
“You just have to perform better in those situations. The frustrating thing is that it’s the simpler things in the game. He’s a genius at the more complicated things, but he needs to tighten up.”
It was a pointed assessment. Alexander-Arnold’s reputation has been built on attacking invention – diagonals that bend games to his will, crosses that slice open defensive lines – but Madrid’s European ambitions demand balance. Against Benfica, the margins felt thin.
Cole even questioned whether selection could become an issue as the competition sharpens.
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“I think the manager might go back to type [Carvajal],” he added.
“That might have been a one-off as I’ve not seen him every week. The opposition are going to look at that, with both full-backs, and think they can get in behind.”
Lescott: Against better sides, there could be consequences
Alongside him, Joleon Lescott offered a similarly forensic breakdown and pointed out how Alexander-Arnold lost all six of his individual duels.
“When Trent is in possession, no one questions him,” Lescott told TNT Sports. “There are going to be games where more is going to be required of him defensively than offensively.
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“Tonight was one of those occasions, and I don’t think he covered himself in too much glory.”
The numbers, in Lescott’s view, told their own story.
“There’s six potential duels, and he doesn’t come out having won any. When they face a more devastating winger, or a more devastating team, there could be consequences to this level of performance.”
Yet there was nuance as well as critique. Improvement, not indictment, was the theme – and he claimed it was a collective responsibility to ensure Alexander-Arnold’s weaknesses were not exposed so readily in future.
“I’m sure he’s going to have to look at this and analyse where he needs to improve,” Lescott concluded. “As a Real Madrid set-up, they shouldn’t isolate him so much and leave him one-v-one.”