Trent Alexander-Arnold believes Liverpool can re-emerge as genuine challengers for the Premier League title this season and are aiming higher than securing a return to the Champions League.
Jürgen Klopp’s side are a point and a place behind the leaders, Manchester City, going into Saturday’s visit to the Etihad Stadium, having overhauled their midfield this summer with impressive results. Alexander-Arnold believes the quality of Liverpool’s new signings, combined with the determination of more established players to correct last season’s fifth-placed finish, has laid the foundations for a title challenge.
“Our aim as a team is to win the league and that’s the aim again this season,” Liverpool’s vice-captain said. “Last season wasn’t good enough. We were nowhere near good enough to get anywhere near that last year and that’s where we needed to put it right this year.
“We brought new players in; it was about adapting as quick as possible and making sure we laid a good foundation at the start of the season. We are in a really strong position and results- and form-wise we are doing enough to stay as close as possible to the top of the table. The league isn’t won yet, there are still a lot of games to play, but so far we’ve performed in a way that is how you would expect someone who can win the league to perform and if we carry this on we should be in and around it come May.”
Alexander-Arnold insists he is comfortable talking up Liverpool’s prospects because the feeling in the squad is similar to when Klopp’s team beat City to the title in 2019-20 and took them to the wire in 2018-19 and 2021-22.
He said: “Being in three campaigns where we should have won the league if it wasn’t for City – obviously we won one but were close in two more – you get a feeling for what you know you are capable of doing. Looking around the dressing room, looking at the players we have got, the team, the spirit, the vibe around the team, that [challenging for the league] is something that we feel is achievable.
“If that wasn’t the case I would be here saying: ‘I want to get back in the top four,’ because, genuinely, there is nothing wrong with that for this team, a team that has just finished outside the Champions League places, there is a rebuild going on, and new players and a lot of senior players have left. It would be very normal to say: ‘Get back in the top four and push on from there.’ But it is something that we believe we can achieve, that is where our sights are at. If it doesn’t happen, we have ourselves to blame and we will focus on that if it happens. Right now we have put ourselves in a good position and we have built a great foundation. It is just about consistency. The hardest thing in football is consistently winning games.”
The England international admits last season’s disappointment is a motivation, and a reminder of the levels that must be maintained to challenge City’s dominance. “The players who are experienced in being successful with the club all understand what it takes and what’s needed to even challenge a team like City,” Alexander-Arnold said. “It was about getting that message across as quick as possible to the new players and the young players coming in. That responsibility of: ‘We need everyone to perform’ – and if we do get players who play really well over the course of the season it will get us closer to the top of the table.
“Last season there were too many of us guys who never hit the levels we were expected to and demand of each other. Ultimately that’s how you end up being in fifth place.”
