'It’s no coincidence' Trent Alexander-Arnold on how Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola push each others buttons
Klopp and Guardiola are the Premier League’s two longest-serving bosses and Trent has a theory on them both
Trent Alexander-Arnold believes Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola have been able to push each other to new heights in recent years.
The two bosses are set to meet in the Premier League for the final time in their current roles on Sunday when the outgoing Liverpool manager’s side host the champions at Anfield.
The clash will mark the start of what is set to be another thrilling title run-in between the Premier League’s two longest-serving coaches, whose rivalry has defined the English game in recent seasons.
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And it is this arms race which has seen the two teams raise the bar when it comes to what is needed to land the Premier League title, according to Alexander-Arnold.
“Oh by far. By far!” Alexander-Arnold told FourFourTwo. “It’s no coincidence that the best points tallies ever have all come in the last five or six years. Without us, I don’t know if Manchester City consistently post those numbers, and I’m sure that without City, we wouldn’t have hit those numbers consistently.
“It needs to be demanded to reach those numbers – you can’t get to them with luck. It’s hard to do it if every other team achieves low-80 points, but when you know one team is capable of reaching 100, you need to get in and around 100 to even stand a chance. It’s been about demanding the maximum from each other – us and City have been able to do that consistently.”
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Liverpool and City both look well placed for huge points totals again this season, sitting on 63 and 62 points respectively with 33 points left to play for, starting with the three on offer in this weekend’s Anfield showdown.
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Ketch joined FourFourTwo as Deputy Editor in 2022 having racked up appearances at Reach PLC as a Northern Football Editor and BBC Match of the Day magazine as their Digital Editor and Senior Writer. During that time he has interviewed the likes of Harry Kane, Sergio Aguero, Gareth Southgate and attended World Cup and Champions League finals. He co-hosts a '90s football podcast called ‘Searching For Shineys’, is a Newcastle United season ticket holder and has an expensive passion for collecting classic football shirts.