The San Siro may be half-empty when Trent Alexander-Arnold and his Liverpool team-mates step out this evening.
But for the roving right-back, the time has come for the Reds to go full throttle in the quest for honours.
Jurgen Klopp’s side resume their Champions League campaign here in Milan with the first leg of their round of 16 tie against Serie A champions Inter.
Having already booked a place in the Carabao Cup final later this month with ongoing interest in the FA Cup and Premier League title race, Liverpool have come through the winter slog and are approaching the business end of the season still challenging on four fronts.
Key to that has been the form of Alexander-Arnold, who has contributed 15 assists already in all competitions and whose corner paved the way for Fabinho to snatch the only goal in the Premier League win at Burnley on Sunday.
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And when asked if he was producing the finest football of his career, the 23-year-old offered a glimpse of the mentality borne from having grown accustomed to competing through to the very last game of the season under Klopp.
“So far, yeah, I would say probably this is my best,” says Alexander-Arnold.
“I feel like I am playing good football but I always enjoy the latter stages of the season more – they are the big games, the ones that matter, Champions League knockouts, the later games of the league.
“I am looking to win trophies, excited to see what happens between February and May. I just hope there will be a happy end come May.
“How much is there to come from me? A lot more. I still see it as early days. I don’t class myself as a young player, but a career is 15 to 20 years hopefully so I feel I am still in the early stages.
“There is a lot more room for improvement, I am not thinking about what I have done but what more I can do and win things every season.”
Coronavirus restrictions in Italy mean the San Siro is operating only at 50% capacity this evening, with 2,180 travelling supporters expected among a crowd of around 40,000.
Klopp again has the luxury of a full-strength squad from which to choose with Liverpool looking to improve on their recent Champions League record having failed to progress beyond the quarter-final in the last two seasons.
And Alexander-Arnold believes that the Reds can control their own destiny in cup competitions – as opposed to just trying to keep pace with Manchester City in the Premier League – gives them an extra edge.
“We have improved, learned how to win, had good moments, bad moments but it is about making sure we can win our games,” he says.
“As a team, we expect ourselves to go as far as we can in competitions. There is only the league that is not really in our hands, the other cup competitions we believe we can win them or beat everyone on our day.
“Cup competitions are always wide open, and in two-legged games anything can happen. You see upsets, you see shocks all the time so I wouldn’t say anyone is favourites (for the Champions League).”
With Inter in a good position to retain the Serie A title, Liverpool are likely to face a greater test than during a group stage in which they claimed a 100% record for the first time, including a 2-1 win at the San Siro over AC Milan in December.
But Alexander-Arnold believes the lessons learned by a run of just two defeats in 46 games since the loss at Real Madrid last April can serve the Reds well.
“We have always known we can win ugly, we have done that over the last few seasons,” he says. “Scruffy 1-0s away from home on days like Sunday, we have done that for years now.
“They are the ones that feel the best, the ones you potentially slip up on so it is important to win those games.”
Diogo Jota was restricted to bench duty at Turf Moor having suffered a dead leg earlier in the week, but will now be eager for a start to build on a campaign that has already seen his snaffle 17 goals – thanks in no small part to the assists of Alexander-Arnold.
“Diogo is an outstanding player, an outstanding person and someone who has added a lot to the team,” says the England international.
“He's versatile, played in all positions in the front line and scored goals in all of them. He gets himself in positions where he can score and puts the ball in the back of the net and that is all you ask for.”
Liverpool will play their 38th game of a busy campaign tonight – for Inter, it’s a 34th – but such demands are exactly what Alexander-Arnold, who has missed only nine matches, craves.
“I think that is normal now, modern-day players are expected to play the number of games,” he says.
“We as players want to play every game and we can and want to be in every competition and win every trophy. So if that is what you want, you have to play 50 to 60 games a season.
“We have got amazing backroom staff, physios, we have got the staff to support us.”
