On whether Trent Alexander-Arnold is in contention to play against Palace…
I haven’t decided on that one yet. But I think this should be a day that everybody is going to enjoy. It’s been 35 years, everybody is waiting for this moment – [not] everybody but the Liverpool fans are waiting for this moment – and I think we’ve set the example against Tottenham. I don’t think I’ve ever been part of seeing celebration done in a nicer way than that day. And one of the two things that made me emotional was how we arrived at the stadium when the fans were singing for us. And the second one is that I’ve met in the last few weeks multiple people telling me, ‘I’m going to Anfield now for all my life but I’ve never felt a day what was more special than that one, Tottenham at home.’
So, I am hoping that we can add a moment like this to it. And I think everybody that’s in the stadium deserves to be there – the fans, the staff, but also the players and one of my players is Trent, so he definitely deserves to be there as well because he’s been part of an incredible, successful season and incredible, successful years at this club. I can only hope that we do it one more time over what we did against Tottenham and I have a lot of trust in our fans to do the same again.
On what his emotions will be when he lifts the trophy…
Proud, special. But I think proud sums [it] up the most. Because after working here for a year now, I know even better how hard it is. That’s why I just said it’s the hardest trophy to win. Because cup trophies you can – it doesn’t have to be – you can win those by a lucky draw or being lucky in two or three games by maybe winning a penalty shootout and then all of a sudden you arrive in the final. But it’s always harder to win the league because it’s 38 games and in a period of time where the league has never been as strong as it is.
I don’t think there’s ever been so much competition – even for teams to go to the Champions League. And there’s never been a season where the number 16 and 17 or 15 and 16 of the Premier League play in a final against each other in the Europa League. That’s what makes it so hard. That would definitely be a proud moment for me and for the players and also for our fans. So, let’s hope it’s also going to be special.
On the potential for this team to enjoy sustained success…
I think we have a lot to compete next season again. But what I don’t know yet – and that’s going to be the interesting one – is if we have this elite mentality, this serial winner mentality, of showing up season after season after season. And I think I get the answer already on the 8th of July when we come back together to see what shape the players are [in]. Because many teams have won the Premier League once but not many have won them multiple seasons in a row – and that’s for a reason.
First of all, because it’s so difficult. Second of all, that not every player has this elite mentality. When I talk about Mo, it’s not a coincidence that he’s for seven years already on a certain level and in last season he was the one that was the most fittest when we arrived back after the break. That is a mentality you need to have to have a chance of becoming a serial winner. This is something we have to prove and the players have to prove – and me as well – during the off-season. The first day for me to judge if we have a chance to become serial winners is the 8th of July when I see them back.
