Alexander-Arnold on squad belief, coping without Salah and Firmino and facing Messi
Trent Alexander-Arnold acknowledges Liverpool face a huge task in attempting to overturn a three-goal first-leg deficit against FC Barcelona on Tuesday - but insists nobody is ready to accept the tie is completely over while a comeback remains possible.
The Reds were defeated 3-0 at Camp Nou last Wednesday night as Luis Suarez opened the scoring against his former club before Lionel Messi struck twice after the break.
It was an outcome many felt harsh on Jürgen Klopp’s men given the manner of their performance in Catalonia, but nevertheless it leaves them with a difficult challenge when the teams meet again at Anfield tomorrow night.
Ahead of the game, Alexander-Arnold held a press conference during which he outlined why no-one within the Liverpool came is ready to concede on their Champions League ambitions while there is still 90-plus minutes of football to be played in the tie.
Read on for a summary of what the full-back had to say to the media, or watch the briefing in our YouTube video below.
On Liverpool’s mentality heading into the second leg…
I think we’ve obviously had decent results this season where we’ve scored more than three goals. Being at home helps us, we’ll have the fans behind us and there’s still that sense of belief. We know it’s going to be really hard, it’s not going to be a walk in the park and everyone has got to be realistic, but we’ve definitely still got that belief within ourselves, in the changing room, that anything is possible, especially at Anfield. Hopefully we will be able to produce one of those special nights here.
On how Liverpool will cope without Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino…
Obviously we’ve got two of our main goalscorers out, but it also presents an opportunity for some of the other lads to come in, make a name for themselves and make themselves heroes. If we do overturn the deficit tomorrow then whoever scores, their name will always be remembered because I am sure it will be one of those really special nights. It is an opportunity and the lads who maybe don’t get as many minutes as those who are injured now will be looking to get those minutes and show why they deserve those kind of opportunities.
On whether he’ll watch Manchester City’s game with Leicester City tonight…
I suppose there is no harm in watching, but it’s important for us our focus is on our game tomorrow – that’s the main thing for us. No matter what happens with the City game, it’s going to go to the last game of the season – and the last game of the season is a game we always want to win. So, no matter what they end up with tonight, our focus is still Barcelona and then beyond that, it’s still going to be winning against Wolves. [Tonight’s game] is not going to affect us too much and we’re not going to get caught up in the hype of whatever the result us. Our main focus is on the game against Barcelona and producing something really special.
On being involved in Liverpool’s challenge for honours…
It’s something that is really special, something I have always wanted to be involved in. This season has been very special in terms of the results we’ve got and the points we’ve been able to pick up. I think if you look at the progression the club has made altogether in the last few seasons, it has been really good - and we’ve still got a lot of potential to unlock. It’s important for us to keep focusing, keep our big players, keep pushing forward and hopefully next season we’ll be able to do the same if not better.
On the on-going assist and goals competition with Andy Robertson…
First and foremost, it is about putting balls into the box and providing the attackers with good service to help them do what they do best. To be involved in so many goals is something really, really good, it shows we’re doing something right, me and Robbo, but at the end of the day, it’s important for us to get the three points. That’s the main thing for us, the three points. We haven’t really focused on that little competition too much, we’ve just tried to provide as much as possible for the team – and whilst doing that competition, it has pushed us further, we’ve pushed each other to our limits and we’ve showed it’s working for us. I think tomorrow, if we’re playing, then hopefully we will be able to put a few more good balls into the box.
On linking up with someone else other than Salah on Liverpool’s right…
I don’t think it will feel that strange. We train with different line-ups a lot and different players in different positions, so it’s not like we’re not used to not playing with Mo. It’s something we do in training as well, so I am sure whoever it is who comes in and fills in for him will have an understanding with all of the players. That’s the main thing for us, to have that versatility and squad depth for the lads to be able to come in and do a job. That’s what we’re hoping they’ll be able to do tomorrow.
On how he views Liverpool’s first-leg performance…
We were obviously massively disappointed with the result, but as a performance, it was maybe one of our best of the season so far. It was a strange one because we’ve not really had too many of those results recently as we were on a decent winning-streak. It was important for us to put those performances in, we’ve shown we’re a really good side and Barcelona will come here tomorrow with respect for us. The stats from the game really paint a picture that not many teams can really go and dominate at Camp Nou. You get punished against the top teams and the top players; we never took our chances on the night. Hopefully if we can get the same kind of chances tomorrow we’ll be able to put them away and punish them.
On his memories of Liverpool’s last dramatic European comeback, against Borussia Dortmund in 2016…
I was here as a fan. It was one of those special nights, one that you won’t forget and will always remember where you were when those kind of things happen. It’s important for us to give that belief – and I am sure the fans believe we have it in us. Especially with a team like this, that we’ve got it in us to score that many goals and hopefully not concede. Realistically, it’s an uphill battle for us, but it’s important to have that belief as well. It’s a slim possibility, but while that possibility is still there we’ll believe with everything we’ve got that we can do it. As a team, we’ve got to go out there and be fearless and not hold back at all, that’s the only way we’ll get the result we want – to not hold back, go out there with no fear and focus on ourselves. If we get caught up with thinking about the players they’ve got and fearing them, holding players back, it’s not going to work for us. It’s about everyone getting involved and trying to score as many goals as possible.
On facing Lionel Messi…
He is a world-class player, probably the best in the world. It is going to be a really tough battle, but in fairness to the lads we kept him quiet for maybe 88 minutes during that game – and he’s produced something really special. It just goes to show you’ve got to be concentrated for the whole 90 against him. It’s about having that respect but not too much respect; we can’t be scared of looking silly against him, we’ve got to try and win the ball back as soon as possible and stop him and the other players in that team from hurting us.