Liverpool v Man City: Erling Haaland says Trent Alexander-Arnold 'doesn't know' how Treble feels - BBC Sport
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Liverpool v Man City: Erling Haaland says Trent Alexander-Arnold 'doesn't know' how Treble feels

Last updated on .From the section Man Citycomments1628

Erling Haaland: Manchester City striker on maintaining a winning mentality

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland "doesn't mind" what Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold says as he "doesn't know" how it feels to win the Treble.

The Reds defender said that Liverpool's trophies under Jurgen Klopp "will mean more" than City's under Pep Guardiola.

The Premier League leaders are at home on Sunday to City, who won the league, FA Cup and Champions League last term.

"I've been here one year and I won the Treble and it was quite a nice feeling," Haaland told Sky Sports.

"I don't think he knows exactly this feeling. So, that's what I felt last season. It was quite nice.

"If he wants to say that, OK," added Haaland. "They can talk as much as they want, or he can talk as much as he wants. I don't know why he does that but I don't mind."

Guardiola and Klopp have won every major honour since taking charge in 2016 and 2015, respectively, although City have lifted 14 major trophies to Liverpool's seven.

City have been charged with more than 100 breaches of financial rules from 2009 to 2018, with the Premier League saying a date for the hearing has been set.

Research by the CIES Football Observatory says that, from 2014 to 2023, Liverpool have generated higher losses through player transfers (249m euros/ÂŁ213m) than City (59m euros/ÂŁ51m).

In a recent interview with FourFourTwo, Alexander-Arnold said:external-link "Looking back on this era, although they've won more titles than us and have probably been more successful, our trophies will mean more to us and our fanbase because of the situations at both clubs financially."

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says Trent Alexander-Arnold 'respects' Man City

'It's pretty certain how much it meant to all of us'

Last season's Treble success came 24 years after Manchester City spent the 1998-99 season playing in League One, the third tier of English football, and the Blues were in the Championship, the second tier, as recently as 2001-02.

When asked about Alexander-Arnold's comments by BBC Radio Manchester, City defender Ruben Dias said: "I think it's pretty certain between us, between our fans, how much it meant to all of us.

"At the end of the day you can only have certain emotions if you actually win stuff. A Treble is a feeling you can only know how it feels when you actually do it."

He added: "I think in a club like Man City and my previous club [Benfica], our greatness will be shown in a way that these comments don't affect us. We know what we've done, we know what we've conquered, we know what we're going for in what's to come. We don't do it for anyone else, we do it for ourselves.

"Other people's success is deserved for their own achievements. What we focus on is ourselves. That's the way to move forward and that's the way to be big, a big club - not trying to comment on other people's success and trying to make it bigger or smaller depending on how convenient it is for you."

'There's so many who can win the Premier League'

Liverpool v Man City: Cesc Fabregas says Anfield atmosphere will make a difference

Before Sunday's game, which Alexander-Arnold is set to miss with a knee injury, City are one point behind Liverpool with both teams having 11 games left.

When City hosted Liverpool in the reverse fixture in November, the game finished 1-1 after Alexander-Arnold's late equaliser cancelled out Haaland's first-half opener - one of 29 goals the Norway striker, 23, has scored this season in all competitions.

"It's going to be a great game," Haaland added. "Liverpool are top of the league, so they've been the best this season so far. So we have to try to play at our best.

"I think City-Liverpool is a really special game in general, so it's going to be a special game and it's going to be a really important game."

City's following league game will be on 31 March at home to Arsenal, who were their closest rivals last season and are currently just one point behind the Blues in third.

"As last year, I think we were in a quite an interesting title race," said Haaland. "Maybe someone even put us a bit away from the title race at one point.

"I think that's also what's so nice about the Premier League, that there's so many who are so good, who can win the Premier League. The last [three] years it's been Manchester City, and we're going to try to do it again. It's not going to be easy, but we are good."

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1628 comments

  • Comment posted by HKJ, at 20:09 7 Mar

    The point he's making isn't far wrong.
    It's like when Leicester won the league, not propped up by mountains of cash, and won it as a squad. The sheer elation for Leicester fans to pull off such a feat must be more prized than any team that pumps money at the problem.
    I'd argue it's the media taking the context/tone away, and just giving partial quotes to inflame tensions and draw a soundbite.

  • Comment posted by SPPLOTUS, at 20:14 7 Mar

    At least Trent knows what it feels like to win a trophy without 115 charges against his team.

  • Comment posted by Nercei, at 19:59 7 Mar

    City's arrogance is fast becoming repulsive.

    • Reply posted by 16-bit Super Mid-Endo, at 20:02 7 Mar

      16-bit Super Mid-Endo replied:
      That may be true, but Trent had no business saying what he did, doubly so considering he won't even be playing on Sunday.

  • Comment posted by Gaz, at 20:05 7 Mar

    City will never ever be as big as Liverpool are and City have bought most of their trophies alright

  • Comment posted by Greig, at 20:24 7 Mar

    Trent won every major honour in the game before Haaland even got to City. The fact that Haaland won the treble in his first season is exactly what Trent was getting at. Winning things having come through the academy at your boyhood club... It probably does feel like more.

    • Reply posted by Celts, at 20:46 7 Mar

      Celts replied:
      Trent is spot on. He helped rebuild his boy hood club from also rans to league winners and European champions.

      Haaland joined a team that he has no connection to, that were already the best in England.

      Yet he still has won less trophies than Trent has.......

  • Comment posted by Jason, at 20:19 7 Mar

    As a Liverpool fan, I think Trent's comments are ill-judged time-wise.
    It just gives City an added incentive this weekend.
    There's a time & a place.

    • Reply posted by Some bloke on the internet, at 20:34 7 Mar

      Some bloke on the internet replied:
      There’s a time and place …. yes in an interview with 442…. in such interviews you answer the questions from your perspective! He didn’t set out to talk about them…. he was asked a question and he answered it

  • Comment posted by cavanman21, at 20:14 7 Mar

    Love Pep and Klopp two top class managers

  • Comment posted by Toxic Rabbit, at 20:18 7 Mar

    Shows how dumb Haaland is because Trent basically said winning trophies meant more to the Liverpool fans than it does the plastic Man City fans, who let's face it were probably supporting Man Utd a few years ago until the oil barons stepped in at City.

    • Reply posted by Martfarg, at 20:21 7 Mar

      Martfarg replied:
      Correct

  • Comment posted by Jand, at 22:05 7 Mar

    True, but he also doesn’t know what it’s like to play for a club founded in 2008 with 115 FFP charges

    • Reply posted by namron, at 22:11 7 Mar

      namron replied:
      Is this how you thank a club who let you keep your reputation when LFC stole their scouting data. Letting you lot settle out of court was a blunder.

  • Comment posted by yourego, at 20:04 7 Mar

    1 players trophies organically earned the other bought,

  • Comment posted by Jes, at 08:14 8 Mar

    Haaland doesn’t know what it feels like to play in a full stadium.

    • Reply posted by yogibear, at 10:32 8 Mar

      yogibear replied:
      Correction. He does at away matches

  • Comment posted by Cheese_Conquistador, at 21:11 7 Mar

    Maybe he needs a word with his team mates Nunez (85m) or van Dijk (84.7m) or Alisson (62.5m) or Jota (44.7m). Where does this end? I certainly hope Trent can stop this teams buying things for the Liverpool fans sake.

  • Comment posted by Carl, at 20:52 7 Mar

    Not a City fan but lots of salty people on here, funny really, everyone acting holier than thou.... jealousy is an ugly trait

    • Reply posted by drew, at 21:53 7 Mar

      drew replied:
      City will prob win the league this year. You dont think its strange 4 in a row has never happened before? Its not pep genius its they have by far the best squad that since 2008 has been expensively assembled. The team could coach itself! Bit like chelsea in the early abramovich era before FFP. They bought the best for years. Chelsea had a mad squad. Prob could have come 1st and 2nd.

  • Comment posted by Ernies season ticket, at 21:34 7 Mar

    Arnold doesn't know what it's like to be labelled a cheat and face 115 charges...

    • Reply posted by Brendan110_0, at 07:50 8 Mar

      Brendan110_0 replied:
      and still win a treble.

  • Comment posted by Patrick OConnor, at 22:53 7 Mar

    I'm a little concerned that Liverpool constantly paint themselves as some sort of underdog. Under old systems some early Liverpool success attracted all the best young talent, like at Man Utd. This had the effect of preventing 'smaller' teams from succeeding. Now that other teams have more money and can effectively take similar advantage, Liverpool suddenly become a victim.

  • Comment posted by Ron, at 21:03 7 Mar

    Guys. You’re all suckers , sniping and baiting each other. Everything about that premier league is about money , the worst aspects of it being at the top clubs. All as bad in slightly different ways. I’m a Gunners supporter and I include them just as much.

    • Reply posted by AnAwesomeLife, at 15:42 8 Mar

      AnAwesomeLife replied:
      Whoa... easy now. Stop making so much sense.

      You might end up breaking the Colesseum spell of the masses.

      ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!?

  • Comment posted by chris, at 20:14 7 Mar

    Treble*

  • Comment posted by livingmercerway, at 21:10 7 Mar

    The little chap will know which competitions these stats refer to and put them into the context of his own career:
    1/ 33 years
    1/17 years
    2 /12 years
    1/19 years
    So the rarity of trophies won this century will "mean more" to Liverpool players, especially the ones who came to help for purely altruistic reasons: Nunez ÂŁ85m, VVD ÂŁ75m, Alisson ÂŁ66m, Szbosz ÂŁ60m, Keita ÂŁ51m.
    Pitiful.
    Really.

    • Reply posted by Arken, at 21:17 7 Mar

      Arken replied:
      But the difference is that the whole country know that Liverpool won them honestly!
      No asterisks at this club!

  • Comment posted by mark fisher, at 22:51 7 Mar

    Even Alexander Arnold must recognise that Liverpool are one of the Leagues biggest spenders,that is a fact and not debatable.Any attempt to put them alongside Leicester as opposed to big spenders like City is not even worthy of comment!.

    • Reply posted by maybe one day, at 23:14 7 Mar

      maybe one day replied:
      Liverpool built their successful fairly..not sure either Leicester or Man Cheaty did!

  • Comment posted by marcus1163, at 20:24 7 Mar

    Trent needs to concentrate on his football, maybe some lessons on how to defend đź‘Ť

    • Reply posted by Some bloke on the internet, at 20:34 7 Mar

      Some bloke on the internet replied:
      just to clarify TAA was doing an interview with 442…. in such interviews you answer the questions from your perspective! He didn’t set out to talk about them…. he was asked a question and he answered it

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