“I kept it quite close to my chest” – Alexander-Arnold on the build-up to his debut as Liverpool captain

Liverpool lad Trent Alexander-Arnold captained his boyhood team for the first time on Wednesday night as The Reds earned a point in Denmark.

The 22-year-old right-back wore the captain’s armband in the absence of Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Virgil van Dijk.

Alexander-Arnold must have thought it was going to be a winning debut as captain after Mohamed Salah gave Liverpool the lead inside the first minute. However, FC Midtjylland showed that last week’s 1-1 draw away to Atalanta was no fluke. The Danish champions put this young Liverpool side to the sword and deserved their equaliser – a second-half penalty – in the end.

Speaking to Liverpoolfc.com after the game, Alexander-Arnold spoke of the pride he felt in leading out Liverpool’s youngest ever Champions League squad as captain.

“[It was] an extremely proud moment for me and the people who have helped me do that. You’ve obviously got to give thanks to the manager and the staff who chose me to captain the team tonight. It was a really proud night for me on a personal note. I think I’ll look back on tonight with fond memories as being captain for the first time.

“Obviously, it’s always been a dream, it’s always special to play on Champions League nights. To lead the team out was incredibly proud, it was something that was different, new to me. It was special, it felt special out there.”

Alexander-Arnold was asked if he informed friends and family of his upcoming captaincy before the game:

“Yeah, I only told a few people, to be fair. I kept it quite close to my chest and didn’t want to make it bigger than what it was. I tried to focus on the game as much as possible but I think the people that needed to know knew. It was a proud moment for the family.”

Liverpool had already secured first place in this Champions League group before their FC Midtjylland fixture. Now, as Alexander-Arnold puts it, the real fun begins in the knockout stages:

“Yeah, now the fun begins really. The knockout stages, this is where the best teams perform and get through. It’s important to do, it’s never easy. You’re not looking at it now and seeing any easy draws but it’s exciting. I think on our day we’ll be able to beat anyone.”

The draw for the last-sixteen stage of the Champions League takes place next Monday, December 14th, at 11am GMT.

Liverpool’s possible opponents:

Borussia Mönchengladbach
Barcelona
Atletico Madrid
Sevilla
FC Porto
Leipzig
Lazio

Draw Monday 14th 11am GMT

— DaveOCKOP (@DaveOCKOP) December 9, 2020

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