JURGEN KLOPP has given his players a licence to thrill.
And while Trent Alexander-Arnold admits things can get a bit “crazy” at times the England defender insists the whole team are loving their new Liverpool life as free spirits.
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Klopp heads for Man Utd’s Old Trafford today having watched his side bang in 36 goals over a dozen games in all competitions this season.
Mo Salah is leading the assault that has seen him create a club record having now scored in nine games in a row.
Liverpool’s strikes during the sometimes chaotic midweek 3- 2 Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid means they have scored three goals or more in each of their last eight away games.
Most exciting of all, declares Alexander-Arnold, is that boss Klopp is allowing his team to play off – the – cuff attacking football with few, if any inhibitions.
Last season’s feeble failure in defence of a first top flight title in 30 years, not helped by the defensive losses of Virgil Van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez has led to a new awakening at Anfield.
Alexander-Arnold explains: “It’s just playing with freedom, to be honest – especially more this season.
“Not that there were really any shackles on, but the shackles have come off for us. It’s kind of just flowed really and there’s no real instructions.
“We understand there’s principles to our game and where to be when the ball’s on the other side and things like that.
“But when it comes over to us then we’ve kind of been given licence to just enjoy ourselves, go and create things, go and attack, go and cause problems for the opposition.
“It just feels right, to be honest. Of course there’s a shape to the team, there has to be a sense of discipline and security when we’re attacking.“
That security, says the Scouser, comes with the return of Van Dijk, Matip and Gomez now they are all fit following last season’s interminable absences.
There has also been the chaos. Not only of grabbing victory from the jaws of a draw after letting a two – goal lead slip in Madrid.
We’ve been given licence to enjoy ourselves
Trent Alexander-Arnold
In the 3 – 3 draw at Brentford Klopp appeared to have been overseeing a return to schoolboy mistakes by his players.
Yet the German has allowed his team to carry on regardless and Alexander-Arnold stresses the importance of the presence of Van Dijk and Matip.
He says: “It’s also having a sense of discipline. Having players, like the two centre-halves, who can organise things when we kind of get ahead of ourselves and start doing some crazy things down there!
“But like I said, it’s flowing well and teams are finding it difficult to deal with. It’s just a natural sense of where to be at the right time. For the most part when I’ve been playing I’ve always felt a freedom.
“More so this season, being allowed to drift in wherever I want and just finding space where I can. Not just having to stay on the touchline and keep the width.
“Just rotating, causing headaches for the opposition and just finding myself in positions where I can hurt the opposition and create chances for the team.”
Gung-ho or not, Alexander – Arnold declares Liverpool will still have to be careful against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s enigmatic team.
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He says: “They have outstanding attacking talent that we need to kind of keep quiet. They’ve got big names, they’re a strong, attacking side on the back of a good comeback in midweek, so they’ll have a bit of confidence.
“Our defensive shape will be the foundation for the result, for the performance. Get that right and then go and build with the ball and go and attack their weaknesses really.
“We’ll analyse where they’re weak, what we can do to get past them, around or over them. It’ll be an interesting game, a tactical one, it’ll be full of passion for it. But we are confident going into it.”
