MY ACCOUNT
Trent Alexander-Arnold has never experienced a more intense Premier League title race than the one this season despite only being 13 games into 2021-22.
Chelsea lead defending champions Manchester City by one point, with third-placed Liverpool just two off Thomas Tuchel’s Champions League winners.
All three teams will be in action on Wednesday, with Chelsea at Watford and Manchester City visiting Aston Villa, while the Reds make the short trip to Everton for the Merseyside derby.
Liverpool may be unbeaten in their last 10 top-flight visits to Goodison Park, but Alexander-Arnold appreciates his side cannot afford to relinquish ground on the top two.
Asked whether he had experienced a more competitive title race, the right-back told Liverpool’s website: “No, I wouldn’t say so. It is intense. It’s going to be a good season, I think everyone has got that feel for it.
“The way the table is looking now as well, going into the Christmas period, it’s as tight as it comes really: three teams, it’s probably something we haven’t seen over the last few years. It’s going to be intense and we know that any slip-ups will be costly.”
Everton won the last Premier League meeting between the local rivals, though the Toffees have not won back-to-back Merseyside derbies since 1984-85 and have come under fire recently after slipping to 14th with just 15 points.
Alexander-Arnold recognises Rafael Benitez’s side will be looking for a response, but he believes Liverpool’s dangerous frontline will be all Everton are thinking about ahead of the clash.
“They’ll be looking to bounce back, they suffered a defeat that they probably won’t be too happy with on the weekend, so they will probably have a little bit more motivation to bounce back and want to do it in front of the home fans,” he added.
“But that’s football, every team has those little bits of motivation – we are a top, top team so every team wants to beat us.
“But I’m also sure they will be worried about what we can do going the other way.
“The form that the front three are in at the minute is frightening; goals and the way they are contributing and linking up together, and the way the team is gelling at the minute is looking very good for us and I’m sure they will be watching our analysis with a little bit of fear in them.”
Indeed, Jurgen Klopp’s team have scored at least twice in their past 17 games across all competitions, the joint-longest such run in history by an English top-flight side.
The Reds have been inspired by Mohamed Salah’s 11-goal haul in the league so far, while the Egypt international has managed a goal or an assist in each of his last six Premier League away games – no Liverpool player has ever managed that in seven successive matches on the road.
But Alexander-Arnold believes it is the group dynamic that is ensuring Liverpool keep pace with the early leaders.
“I think it’s part of modern-day football, that rotation, and more ‘squad’ rather than just a team,” he continued. “Injuries come, especially at this time of year they’re very frequent, so it’s important to have a strong squad.
“I think we’ve got that, we’ve got players contributing with goals and assists and clean sheets. So it’s vital to have that within the squad and whether you are starting or coming on, that you’ve got that confidence that you can contribute to the win.”
