How Liverpool’s Full-Back Stars Rewrote History

It's the end of an era for Liverpool Football Club as one of the Premier League's most formidable full-back partnerships comes to a close. With Trent Alexander-Arnold's move to Real Madrid and new signing Milos Kerkez threatening Andy Robertson's starting position, the Reds are set for a defensive overhaul.

The End of a Legendary Partnership

Liverpool's summer signing Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen is expected to start at right-back next season, with Kerkez likely taking the left-back spot as Robertson faces potential departure from Anfield. However, the new duo will have enormous shoes to fill.

By the Numbers: Alexander-Arnold and Robertson's Impact

The legendary full-back pairing featured together in 279 matches across all competitions - averaging 35 games per season during their eight-year partnership. Remarkably, only Mohamed Salah played more games with each defender during this period.

Key statistics of their partnership:

• 185 wins from 279 matches (66% win rate)
• Only 43 losses during their time together
• Combined 25 assists in the 2019-20 season alone

Record-Breaking Assist Machines

Alexander-Arnold and Robertson redefined the role of modern full-backs under Jürgen Klopp's system, contributing to Liverpool's attack at unprecedented levels:

• Alexander-Arnold: 64 Premier League assists (club record for a defender)
• Robertson: 60 Premier League assists
• Both players achieved 10+ assists in a season three times each

In a 2019 interview with BBC Sport, Alexander-Arnold revealed: "We both thrive off each other's performances. We've got a healthy competition to see who gets more goals and assists."

Historical Context

The Liverpool duo dominate Premier League defensive records:

• Top two assisting defenders in Premier League history
• Second and third for chances created by defenders since 2003-04 (Alexander-Arnold: 516, Robertson: 446)
• Only Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, and Son Heung-min have more assists since 2017-18

While Leighton Baines holds the overall defender record with 635 chances created, he achieved this over 420 matches - compared to Alexander-Arnold's 251 and Robertson's 308 Premier League appearances.

Trophy-Laden Partnership

Beyond statistics, the pair were instrumental in Liverpool's most successful period since the 1980s, winning:

• 2 Premier League titles
• 1 Champions League
• 1 FA Cup
• 2 League Cups

Their departure marks the end of one of football's most productive full-back partnerships, leaving Liverpool with the challenging task of rebuilding their defensive flanks.