Trent Alexander-Arnold believes Liverpool have no reason to envy Manchester City's domestic dominance because Jürgen Klopp's team have won "the biggest and the best" with the Champions League and Premier League.
Liverpool continue their pursuit of four trophies on Tuesday at Internazionale in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie. The England international insists one trophy a season should be the minimum expectation for a squad of Liverpool's calibre and, whereas the destiny of the Premier League title is not in their hands, they control their fate in Europe, the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.
Alexander-Arnold admits his medal collection could be bigger but, highlighting City’s failure to win a Champions League, the right-back claims Liverpool’s sixth European crown and ending a 30-year wait for a 19th league title provide ample compensation for the league leaders’ domestic success under Pep Guardiola.
The 23-year-old, asked whether he agreed that Klopp’s squad should have won more with the talent at their disposal, replied: “Partially. We don’t feel disappointed that we haven’t won enough trophies as the ones we have won are the biggest and best you can get your hands on. Not making any digs but you look at Man City’s amazing team and they haven’t been able to lift the Champions League. They won a couple of Prems but haven’t been able to win the Champions League. We’ve won both over the last few years and it shows you we can do it in both competitions.
“There is an expectation now, as a team and players, to win trophies. One trophy a season minimum is what we have to achieve. With the squad and the manager we have we should be winning trophies. It is expected now. It is not the stage now where we are happy to get to finals and it is day out. There is expectation now to want to do it every season.”
Liverpool trail City by nine points, albeit with a game in hand and a trip to the Etihad Stadium in April, but this season became the first English team to win all six games in the Champions League group stage and Alexander-Arnold believes his boyhood club can demonstrate their Champions League pedigree again.
“We believe we can beat anyone on our day if we get it right,” he said. “At the moment it is only the league that is not in our hands and anything can happen there. The other three competitions we believe we are able to win them.
“I think cup competitions are always wide open. I wouldn’t say anyone is favourite. Leagues are a bit different when you look at squad depth and there are favourites, but cup competitions are a different ball game. Every competition we are in we feel we can win, especially the Champions League.”
Klopp has a fully fit squad and believes a heavyweight knockout contest with the Italian champions demonstrates the health of the Champions League, and by extension undermines calls for its reform.
The Liverpool manager said: "We know that we face an incredibly strong team. Two big clubs – Inter is a massive club – two incredibly successful clubs, but that is what Champions League should be. There are a lot of thoughts about reforms or changes to the Champions League but when you have City against Sporting and Real Madrid against PSG, and tomorrow us against Inter, that is massive. That's proper European royalty football and we are really looking forward to it."
– Guardian
