Jurgen Klopp defends Trent Alexander-Arnold after sparking Liverpool-Man City debate

Jurgen Klopp has said there is “nothing wrong” with Trent Alexander-Arnold saying trophies “mean more” to Liverpool than they do at Manchester City and believes the vice-captain should be allowed to say how he feels about his boyhood club ahead of this weekend’s title clash.

Alexander-Arnold called Manchester City a “machine that is built to win” during an interview to FourFourTwo this week as he reflected on a rivalry that has defined the Premier League in the era of Klopp and Pep Guardiola.

This Sunday’s match at Anfield is set to be the final time Klopp faces Guardiola in the Premier League. The Manchester City manager has called Klopp his “best rival I’ve ever had” but his team have won five Premier League titles to Liverpool’s one, with the Reds falling just short after taking the title race to the final day in both 2019 and 2022.

Despite that, Alexander-Arnold said: “Looking back on this era, although they’ve won more titles than us and have probably been more successful, our trophies will mean more to us and our fanbase because of the situations at both clubs financially.”

Alexander-Arnold has played for Liverpool since he was six years old, but his comments provoked a response from Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and defender Ruben Dias ahead of Sunday’s clash, while Guardiola refused to comment on Friday.

Klopp said winning trophies means a lot to both sides as he played down the reaction to Alexander-Arnold’s interview, while reiterating that there is “respect” between the clubs and from his side.

“I am not sure how often in this club we have to say that you know how much we respect the opponent - in this case City - and mean it,” Klopp said on Friday. “Pep is the best manager in the world. I have no problem, I have a really good life with not being even close to that, it’s absolutely fine, believe me.

“They have incredible players, in the moment they have probably the best No.9, Haaland, scores when he wants. Kevin De Bruyne will go down in history, in the end there will be a discussion: was it Steven Gerrard or is it Kevin De Bruyne? Imagine getting in this conversation.

“They have Phil Foden, probably the best English player at the moment. We all respect that, Trent respects that, but he is born in Liverpool, he stood on the bins [watching training at Melwood] before he played for the club, he played through all youth teams.

“What would you think in that situation? One of our slogan, which I love, is ‘This Means More’, and it means more - to us.

“We have no clue what it means to other people but what happens here means more to us. We had, two years ago, a parade after winning the League Cup and FA Cup, losing a Champions League final the night before, losing the league by a point.

“Tell me a city where you have a parade and it looks like we won all these trophies without having them. The club is special to us. If it is not special to other people, we can’t change that. But if we feel it like, why shouldn’t we be allowed to say it?

“It is just how he feels and we feel and I have absolutely no problem with that. I am pretty sure - I didn’t read it, I just got told you would ask me - he showed his respect as well.

“In the last decade Man City is the most successful club in England definitely, and maybe in Europe as well, they could have won the Champions League more often, but in England it is ridiculous the record they have. It means a lot to their people, I’m sure.

“But, for us, maybe just for the fact we didn’t win that many, it feels good as well. We are not in the situation of winning five league titles in a row and then realising after number six, number five was better, but that’s it.

“You love these kinds of interviews where somebody says what he thinks and then the whole world tells you it’s not right what you think. It is still allowed that we think what we want, other people out there think much worse things and we should talk more about that probably. There is nothing wrong with what Trent said from my point of view.”