Liverpool vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold asserted the “Just win” mentality as Anfield clash with historic rivals Manchester United awaits
Liverpool vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold maintained the importance of a winning mentality as his team faces Manchester United at Anfield. Sunday’s Northwest derby game involves two clubs in a completely different form this season compared to their last season.
Liverpool are currently at the top of the Premier League table while United lies in sixth position, 10 points behind. Last season, the Reds struggled to maintain a level of consistency due to many players regressing past their best.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp utilised the summer transfer window to reshape the midfield with fresh faces. Plenty of old guards like Jordan Henderson, Roberto Firmino, James Milner, and Fabinho departed the club at the same time.
The Liverpool boss has deployed new tactical approaches, mainly allowing Trent to drift into the central midfield in possession phases. The 24-year-old is the best playmaker in the team and he has used the central position to distribute passes.
Other than Trent’s lethal deliveries from the deeper midfield, the England international dictates the tempo as a proper number six. Defensively, the Englishman drifts back to the right-back spot, keeping a 4-3-3 shape of the team.
However, Trent has featured numerous times as a number six when Klopp deployed Joe Gomez in the right-back role. The 24-year-old has given fantastic performances from the number six role, helping in comeback victories against Fulham and Crystal Palace.
Speaking ahead of the Northwest derby game (Liverpool FC’s official site), Trent emphasised the need to take the game seriously. He said:
“Just win! That’s the main thing. It’s the mentality I’ve got going in to every game, to be honest. People will talk about their form, our form, results and what’s going on within the clubs, potentially make excuses and things like that, but for us as players it’s still the same game. Just because we’re top of the league and they’re not, and they’re potentially going through a bad run of form or whatever, it’s not like we go into the game 1-0 up. It’s still 0-0, 11v11, and it’s a battle.”
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Trent Alexander-Arnold on Steven Gerrard being his 'perfect' role model pic.twitter.com/hPdPmZUiAh
Klopp has typically positioned Alexis Mac Allister in the deep midfield role, but an injury has sidelined the Argentine.Natural defensive midfield option Wataru Endo has struggled to keep up with the pace in recent games. Whether the Liverpool boss deploys Trent as the defensive midfielder or use some other midfielder is up for speculation.
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Trent is correct about taking the United game seriously and not getting complacent about their struggle with form and consistency. The Reds struggled with form last season while United thrived under manager Erik ten Hag’s debut season. Nevertheless, Liverpool humiliated United 7-0 at Anfield last season during their visit in March, further proving Trent’s point about form.
