Trent Alexander-Arnold: Setbacks made us a better side
Liverpool have become a stronger side as a result of their setbacks, according to Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The right-back believes the current crop of Reds players have used lows in their careers, whether personal or collective, as the catalyst to achieve success.
He points to the Champions League final defeat in 2018 as the chief example; a year after losing that match to Real Madrid in Kiev, Jürgen Klopp’s team returned to lift the trophy in Madrid while simultaneously collecting 97 points in the Premier League.
Liverpool will aim to utilise that character trait again this season, after missing out on the title so narrowly last term.
“The players that we have in our side have all had failures before, we’ve all had setbacks and knockbacks,” Alexander-Arnold told Premier League Productions.
“We’ve really bounced back from there and got to where we are now and where we are as a team. The biggest example of that is probably the fact that we lost the Champions League final the season before and were able to use that as motivation to get back there and win it the next season.
“It’s something a lot of teams aren’t capable of, but we’ve showed that we are and we’re able to get better from disappointment.”
The Reds have, so far, delivered the perfect response to their Premier League frustration last season.
Alexander-Arnold and co have won each of their eight games, most recently coming through a serious examination against Leicester City at Anfield with three points.
And the resumption of club football after the international break brings one of the highlights of the fixture calendar as Liverpool travel to Old Trafford.
“Traditionally and historically, the Man United-Liverpool game is always massive,” said Alexander-Arnold. “It’s one of the biggest games of the season and they’re a top side as well.
“It’s always going to be a big game and a big occasion because both teams want to win it so much.”