‘I love that’: Peter Crouch reacts to what he’s been hearing one Liverpool player say this week

Add as preferred source on Google

Peter Crouch has used his column for The Daily Mail to express his admiration for Trent Alexander-Arnold’s ‘elite’ mentality for Liverpool.

The 23-year-old caused some waves last Tuesday. Ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Inter Milan in the Champions League, he claimed that Liverpool should be winning at least one trophy per season.

But Crouch thinks that the right-back’s comments show the winning mentality he possesses. The kind of mentality that underpinned Crouch’s former teammate’s Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher’s successful Liverpool careers.

He also happens to think that Trent is absolutely right.

“I love that. No shirking. It’s a winning mentality of an elite professional. He (Alexander-Arnold) is right too. Liverpool are exactly the same as Manchester City now — one trophy a year is the minimum requirement,” wrote Crouch.

It’s the kind of mentality which saw Liverpool collect 97 and 99 points in successive Premier League seasons.

After a disappointing season last time out, Jurgen Klopp’s team look hungry to make up for lost time. They have the chance to add early-season silverware with the League Cup final against Chelsea coming up on Sunday.

It was great to hear Trent’s admission that he aims to win more with Liverpool.

The Scouser has once again been brilliant this season. If Liverpool are to add more trophies to their cabinet, he will be absolutely key to that.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

It was understandable that Jurgen Klopp decided to give Alexander-Arnold a rest on Saturday at home to Norwich City.

The Reds have games coming thick and fast now and Trent has only missed three league matches all season. He was also given a tough evening by Ivan Perisic at San Siro last Wednesday.

Joe Gomez slotted nicely back into the side instead. But his display served as a reminder of the different skillset’s the two players posses.

That isn’t a slight on Gomez, not at all. The 24-year-old was starting his first Premier League game of the season and had an excellent game.

But by his own admission, he isn’t Alexander-Arnold, nobody is.

“Obviously, I think Trent is in a world of his own and I’m not Trent, especially not at full-back,” Gomez told liverpoolfc.com after the game.

“Trent is a real playmaker for us and that sort of player in the team, but I have to believe in my own attributes and my own strengths and try and play to that.”

Following Neco Williams’ loan departure to Fulham, Gomez is now nominally Alexander-Arnold’s back-up.

Gomez is a very capable deputy and badly needs minutes to reassert himself on this Liverpool team.

But there’s no doubt that Trent’s on-pitch ability as well as his need to win makes him first choice for the position and one of the first name’s on Klopp’s teamsheet.