Trent Alexander-Arnold has admitted he’s disappointed to not be playing in the Champions League this term following a disappointing 2022/23 campaign.
The Merseysiders came close to pinching a spot in the elite competition with a strong finish to the season, though fell short of a consistent Newcastle United side in fourth.
“We do respect every competition we play in but if you asked us this time last year ‘would you want to finish fifth?’ we would have all said ‘no’,” the Academy graduate was quoted as saying by Football Daily.
“Same again now. Do we want to finish fifth next season? No. We want to be winning the league, we want to be challenging and being in title races and Champions League football.
“To not be in that next season is disappointing and it shows we had a disappointing season, even though we finished on quite a high, it was a disappointing season.
“Like I said, we respect every competition but we want to be playing in the elite competitions year in year out.”
The club has since taken steps to address a key contributor to its poor form for much of the prior term, signing Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai to plump up the midfield department.
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Alexander-Arnold’s newfound ability to feature in the middle of the park could certainly support the club’s aims in that regard, with the No.66 effectively operating as part of a double pivot alongside Fabinho.
To what extent Jurgen Klopp and his coaching staff will be prepared to utilise that solution on a regular basis remains a point of debate amongst commentators, of course, amid ongoing links with Romeo Lavia.
A season outside of top European football need not seem all doom and gloom, however, presenting a perfect opportunity to bed in new faces and rediscover our best form after 2022/23.
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