Trent Alexander-Arnold has warned Liverpool can’t be “silly” in Spain – as he revealed the squad’s reaction to Jurgen Klopp penning a new deal.
The Reds will aim for a third Champions League final in five seasons when they take a 2-0 lead to Villarreal in their semi-final second leg on Sunday.
Liverpool have won all five previous away games in Europe this campaign and haven’t been beaten by more than one goal in any competition for more than 12 months. And when asked what mindset the Reds will approach the game with, Alexander-Arnold was firm in his assertion.
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“To go over there and win, to be honest,” said the right-back. “We have got the lead to protect and that comes with some game management for us. We know we can’t be silly and be drawn into the way they want to play the game.
“Two-nil up is a good lead for us and we’re happy with it, but at the same time it’s a dangerous one and we can’t let complacency slip in. We need to score goals and put the game to bed hopefully early on. We know it’s going to be difficult and easier said than done, but that’s the aim for us.”
The game is the latest in an intense end to the season with Liverpool, already League Cup winners, also preparing for an FA Cup final while aiming to overhaul Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.
But rather than wilt under pressure, Alexander-Arnold – who is expected to return to the starting line-up in Villarreal having been rested for Saturday’s 1-0 win at Newcastle United – believes the Reds squad are now coming into their own.
“I feel like we thrive off it,” he said. “Since the turn of the year it has been relentless, a game every three or four days and it goes to show the quality we have got as a squad to be able to make changes that potentially in other seasons we haven’t been able to make. Talking on behalf of all the lads, we feel fit and fresh as ever. We’ve been able to rotate and keep playing and maintain that consistency of results.
“I’ve said it before, this is always the best time of the season for us. Every game is a final, pushing on all three fronts now. These are the exciting games you want to be playing in, you want everything on the line and feel like every game you have to win it.
“It’s exciting the buzz you get from scoring a goal in a game when you know it’s vitally important. Naby’s goal on Saturday, there was a feeling this is a big goal as it’s difficult to go to Newcastle and score, the same with Hendo’s crosshot against Villarreal, those kind of goals give you a different feeling – this is big, this is massive. These are the best times we are going to have as a team.”
Liverpool were bolstered the day after last Wednesday’s first-leg home win over Villarreal by the news Klopp – along with assistants Pep Lijnders and Peter Krawietz – had signed a new contract to extend his Anfield commitment to 2026.
And Alexander-Arnold said: “Hopefully those extra two years are just as successful as the ones we’ve had with him so far. This season is a special one so far going into this final run of fixtures. We can really make it something special for us. (The contract) gives us a boost and hopefully we have four more years of success.”
Asked where the squad was when they discovered Klopp had penned a new deal, Alexander-Arnold replied: “We were all at home. It wasn’t like a big celebration, like 'the gaffer is staying, let’s all have a party!'. It’s hard for news to really sink in when games are so thick and fast, there’ll come a point where we will be able to settle down and think that was good news for us and something we wanted to hear.
“But even the manager wouldn’t want it to distract us or take our focus away from the games.. As a set of lads we are very focused on what we want to do. The manager hasn’t really spoken about it. It’s business as usually. But at the back of our minds it is another two years and hopefully we can make them successful.”
