‘I used to think what it would be like to be Man United… now they’re far away’: Trent Alexander-Arnold says Liverpool can’t get complacent as they head for another Champions League final… or risk ending up like their old rivals
- Liverpool face Real Madrid in the Champions League final in Paris on Saturday
- Jurgen Klopp’s side already have two domestic cups in the cabinet this season
- Meanwhile, rivals Manchester United struggled to clinch a sixth-place finish
- Trent Alexander-Arnold insisted the Reds can learn from United’s fall from grace
- The right-back urged Liverpool not to take their recent success for granted
Trent Alexander-Arnold has warned Liverpool cannot afford to get complacent amid their trophy-laden run or they risk becoming like their rivals Manchester United.
The Reds were disappointed their historic quest for the quadruple came to an end when Manchester City pipped them to the Premier League trophy but with two domestic cups in the cabinet already, Liverpool have left United in the dust.
Jurgen Klopp’s side are preparing for their third Champions League final in five years on Saturday when they battle Real Madrid in Paris, meanwhile United are way off the pace set by the top-flight’s top two.
Trent Alexander-Arnold warned Liverpool cannot afford to get complacent amid their success
The Red Devils have endured their worst season in their Premier League history, only just clinching sixth place ahead of West Ham, despite losing to Crystal Palace on the final day.
Alexander-Arnold claimed he has learnt a lesson from United’s fall from grace as he insists Liverpool cannot take their current success for granted.
Speaking on blockasset.’s Block Party podcast, the right back said: ‘Growing up, I remember looking at Man United and thinking what it would be like to be them going for league titles every year, Champions League trophies every year.
The Reds’ rivals Manchester United have fallen way off the pace set by the top-flight’s top two
‘So to be able to do that now and be involved in it is something we can’t take for granted.
‘I’ll use Man United as an example again, now, they’re probably thinking, “we shouldn’t have taken that sustained period of success for granted because now it seems like we’re far away from it”.
‘For us fans and players, we can’t get complacent and just get used to it, we have to really still enjoy it and keep our expectations where they need to be. We’ve got to enjoy the game for as long as we can because it won’t last forever.
‘Sadly, at some point, everyone’s going to leave the club and it’ll be a lot different. Who knows when that will be?
The right-back insisted he will not take the success for granted on the Block Party podcast
‘But football clubs change and evolve and managers and new players come in. So you’ve got to enjoy it as much as we can right now.’
United dominated English football with 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League victories during Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign.
But this campaign saw the Manchester club go a fifth season without silverware, with their last top-flight title coming in Ferguson’s final term in charge in 2013.
The Red Devils won 13 Premier League titles during Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign at Old Trafford
Meanwhile, Liverpool missed out on the Premier League to City by one point for the second time, however Alexander Arnold insisted the loss could be a good omen ahead of their Champions League showdown.
He said: ‘It happened to us last time when we won the Champions League, so maybe it’s a good omen that we miss out on the Premier League title on the final day of the season and then go and win the Champions League.
‘That would be a nice pick me up! Man City win so many games, as do we, you kind of expect them to win and we did expect them to win [against Aston Villa].
Liverpool went on to win the Champions League the last time they lost the title by one point
‘With the emotion, you got the highs when you heard Villa scored and it’s 1-0 at half-time, but we still had our job to do. We did as much as we could and tried our best.
‘We’re unbeaten this year, which is a special achievement, it’s been a special season, I can’t complain.
‘If you finish the [domestic] season with two trophies, miss out on the Premier League by one point and win a Champions League final a few days later… at the start of the season I’d have bitten your hand off for that.’
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