If Roberto De Zerbi wants advice on how to impress the Anfield crowd he should seek Conor Bradley’s counsel. The full-back stepped in for the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold in late January and has not looked back since his first Premier League home game against Chelsea.
Bradley scored once and assisted two in a 4-1 thrashing as he announced himself to Liverpool fans. De Zerbi brings his Brighton side to Anfield on Sunday with his name under consideration to replace the departing Jürgen Klopp. Another fine showing would make a timely statement, although the home fans will be hoping for a valiant defeat for the Italian.
Bradley is the type of player who would thrive under De Zerbi’s all-action style. A year ago, the 20-year-old was scoring the winner against Exeter in League One while on loan at Bolton but has quickly become an invaluable cog for Liverpool, flying up and down the right flank. He already has a Carabao Cup-winner’s medal and is aiming to follow it up with the Premier League and Europa League success.
“It’s difficult coming into one of the best teams in the world and trying to break through and prove that you’re good enough to play every week,” says Bradley. “It was probably that game [against Chelsea] where I thought: ‘Right, I can do this.’ That was a big moment for me.” With Xabi Alonso out of the picture, Rúben Amorim and De Zerbi are seemingly vying for the soon-to-be-vacant hot seat.
Few would be able to turn down the prospect of replacing Klopp, even if succeeding a legend can be a poisoned chalice. Bradley is at the heart of a new young group of players who have stepped up. “It eases the transition into the first team,” he says. “You come into a dressing room full of men you have not spoken to much. Having a couple of youngsters to bed you in is nice. The likes of Curt[is Jones] are good at bedding you into the dressing room.”
De Zerbi’s first game in charge of the Seagulls in October 2022 was at Anfield and his team raced into a two-goal lead but had to settle for a point in a 3-3 thriller. It was an early indication of the entertaining football De Zerbi would offer and one that has brought great praise since. Unlike Amorim, De Zerbi has the opportunity to prove himself in front of an interview panel of 60,000.
When De Zerbi joined Brighton he said his aim was to “not damage” the work Graham Potter had done over a lengthy period and his personality and communication skills could make him an ideal candidate to lead a seamless transition at Anfield.
Brighton have the second-highest percentage of possession in the league since risk taker De Zerbi took over. If that style is matched with the upgrade in players on offer at Anfield, it could be a powerful tool to create dominance on the pitch.
Bradley was brought up as a Liverpool fan but he wanted to replicate Gareth Bale and, although being right-footed, has drawn comparisons with the Welshman. “He was my idol growing up,” says Bradley. “It’s nice to get little comparisons like that, but I still think I have a long way to go to do what he’s done.”
Liverpool tried Bradley as a full-back knowing he had the attributes and fitness to cope with the complexities of the role. “At the start it was difficult. It was under-18s when I got moved back and I didn’t really know what I was doing,” he says. “But I learned quickly how to play the full-back role. When you are playing for Liverpool, you may as well be a winger playing at full-back. We get so much of the ball and so many attacking scenarios. I get a lot of joy playing higher up and basically being a winger.”
It is this level of dexterity that makes him an asset to any squad. During the international break, Bradley reverted to right-wing and scored his first goal for his country in Northern Ireland’s win over Scotland. “It is massive to be versatile,” he says.
“It helps the manager to pick you when he knows you can play in certain positions. I enjoy the challenge of playing new positions and learning about them.”
Whoever comes in as manager will have two of the country’s best right-backs to choose from and will relish the level of flexibility Bradley and Alexander-Arnold offer. “It is a blessing in a way because I can learn so much off Trent,” Bradley says of the competition.
“He has had a similar pathway to me coming through the academy so there are so many things I can take from him, the way he plays football, the way he conducts himself every day and how hard he works.
“It is going to be difficult for me to put Trent out of the team, but I just want to try to play as many games as I can and try to do as well as I can.”
There are plenty more days at Anfield ahead for Bradley. If De Zerbi wants to join him, he does not have a better chance of proving himself.
