Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold has admitted that this season has been a âweirdâ one for the club.
The Reds have tumbled down the table in 2022/23, finding themselves in sixth position ahead of this weekendâs match with Manchester United. With a title challenge long-gone, Liverpoolâs sole goal is now to finish in the Premier Leagueâs top four. Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Alexander-Arnold acknowledges as much.
âOf course, as a team, we would have hoped to have had a much better season, to be in the title race and in and around trying to win the league but that hasnât been the case this season. Itâs one of those, we will assess what really went wrong and what happened at the end of the season. Itâs not one for dissecting during the middle of the year,â said the 24-year-old.
âWeâve got to focus on the task ahead and our targets have probably changed a bit. We still want the top four and that is what we all want as a team, as players, as a club. That is where we need to be and we need to give everything we can to make sure weâre in the Champions League next year.
âThere is always a weird transition period in the season where youâre sort of in between targets. Whether you can push for the league or youâre fighting for top four and there is always a weird air about it. But I think now we fully understand what our task is now and itâs to go and get the top four.
âThatâs our aim, thatâs our target and weâre clear in our vision. That is what weâre aiming for and as a team we think itâs achievable and as a team we just need to go there and produce it and that starts with us. We started out with a good set of results, the last four league games especially and then itâs obviously a big one on Sunday.â
Liverpool readjust their targets
Unquestionably this has been a weird season for Liverpool. You can get where Trent is coming from here. At the kick-off of the campaign, the Reds had designs on winning the league. As form slipped away throughout the early weeks, that was still the target.
But it soon become clear that this was not a season where Liverpool will be challenging at the top. As the players and fans tried to digest that reality, it was difficult to then adjust targets in real time.
Having taken their time to settle into their new position in the table though, the Reds now look focused on achieving their target. Top four is now very much the only thing on Liverpoolâs agenda. After a much more positive month, that looks like a real possibility.
Thereâs a lot to do before that, though â starting with Sundayâs visit of United. Following that, Liverpool then have Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal in the next four games. As Michael Owen has said, things will become a lot clearer after that run.
From Trentâs words, it sounds like the Reds know exactly what they need to do to ensure this season isnât a complete bust. Itâs been a weird one for sure, no doubt fans can think of a few stronger words to describe it too. But it can still end in a positive way for Liverpool. Full steam ahead for that top four finish.