Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
John Aldridge

I never thought I'd say anything like this - but Liverpool have just found an upgrade on Thiago

The top four and the Champions League is still out of our hands. It’s six wins out of seven games, seven undefeated and that’s the Liverpool we know, even though we’re not firing on all cylinders by any means.

We’re managing the games and we’re getting them won by hook or crook. The likes of Manchester United and Newcastle know that Liverpool are turning it around little by little, the manager has got the belief back into the players and they’re winning games.

Maybe not in the manner in which we hoped to win the games but it doesn’t matter, at this stage of the season you want to win the games and see what happens in the other games. At the weekend they went in favour of us for the first time in a while.

READ MORE: Liverpool fan reaction to the national anthem was justified - people don't realise what the city has gone through

READ MORE: Sir Alex Ferguson left Steven Gerrard 'hurt' after controversial Liverpool claim Zinedine Zidane slammed

There’s a little bit of hope now, both teams have to win three games and they haven’t got difficult run-ins but there’s a couple of games there where teams can take points off them and then it would be interesting if we were to win our remaining games.

All we can do is look to the next game, total focus on Leicester, it’s been a tricky place to go in recent years. They’re fighting like hell to stay up and you have to go there and do a professional job.

If the other teams want to drop points so be it, we’ve not had a great season but wouldn’t it be fantastic for us to creep in on goal difference from Man United into top four? That would be like winning the FA Cup final taking that fourth spot off them.

You’re happy that they’re slipped up because you don’t know what will happen in the next game, you’ve got to focus on yourselves. You don’t even look at other teams, you just hope the likes of Brighton can go to United to get points and Chelsea, them two teams can be dangerous.

Newcastle have got a couple of games against dangerous sides, we’ve got three tricky ones ourselves, it’s what we do, get the nine points in the bag and see what happens then you just never know. We’ll see what happens, see if they bottle it or if they get themselves back on track.

Liverpool may have found a new Thiago in Trent Alexander-Arnold

We’re not playing flamboyantly, we’re defending better but we couldn’t have defended worse earlier in the season. There’s belief there, Trent’s been a revelation in midfield, I’d go as far as saying that’s his new position - and I never thought I’d say anything like that - his future is there.

Liverpool have to go out and get a really good right-back, it’ll save so much money.

For what he’s doing, his vision, he can do what Thiago does, he’s like a younger version of Thiago in some respects but he’s quicker, more dynamic, he can defend better than Thiago.

We do need possibly one or two in midfield, we’ve got to balance it up in there and if you’re looking for a top player like Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice or whoever you’re talking £120m, you can get a very good right-back for £20m. We know how the owners work, I don’t know whether that’s what Jurgen wants but it makes sense.

For the last year-and-a-half, he’s been frustrating at times, whenever he gets the ball there’s four players around him. When he’s not playing well, he gets stifled out of the game but his numbers are fantastic. He looks like he’s enjoying his football, he’s had the bit between his teeth in the last couple of months, I just applaud him he’s been ridiculously good for the club. You talk about the legends of the club that we’ve seen over the years, he’s become one, he’s got a couple more years in him, it’s brilliant.

READ NEXT:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.