London, June 21 (IANS) Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold heaped praise on manager Jurgen Klopp and said he “will always be special to the club”.
The Reds are closing in on their first top-flight title in 30 years as they are six points off winning the English Premier League title.
“You have to respect the things he does,” the 21-year-old right-back told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“To change the whole club, to change everyone from doubters to believers, to get everybody thinking the same way, believing the same way and having the same dreams…
“He just embodies the whole club. Even without being from the city, the country and being local, he just clicks with the club. He does it with every person – the fans, the staff and the players.”
On title aspirations and how frustrating it was when the league had to be stopped midway due to the coronavirus, he said: “If you can imagine your ultimate dream and being so, so close to it – two steps away from it really – and someone saying ‘you need to wait over 100 days then you might get it’. It was quite frustrating.”
“But the league position hasn’t changed, our mentality hasn’t changed and that is to win every game, push boundaries, break records, win the league and be remembered.”
“You have to wait so long to win the league, then when you do it, you have to wait so long to celebrate it properly,” added Alexander-Arnold.
On Sunday when Liverpool take on Everton in the Merseyside derby, Alexander-Arnold will have ‘Black Lives Matter’ on his boots. He had announced he will auction the boots he wears in the derby to raise money for the Nelson Mandela Foundation, which strives for “freedom and equality for all”.
“‘Do your talking on the pitch.’ I’ve always loved that sentiment. But now we need to speak up in other ways as well,” Alexander-Arnold wrote on Twitter.
“It can no longer just be our feet where we express ourselves. We have to use our profile, the platforms we have and the spotlight that shines on us to say, it’s time for meaningful change.”
He added: “While we have this opportunity, where people are listening – let’s speak, let’s educate, let’s campaign and let’s promote the message that better education brings change.
“This is the moment of change. This is the moment to say enough is enough. This is the moment to make sure it stops now. Racism is a fire that is now burnt out.”
–IANS
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