Trent Alexander-Arnold knows exactly what Pep Guardiola's No.2 thinks about him

CommentsSportTom Victor06:30, 11 Mar 2026As Manchester City gear up for another meeting with Real Madrid in the Champions League, former Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold will be well-placed to provide his Madrid teammates with valuable insights on their Premier League opponents. The right-back's own ups and dows are well known to the opposition, though, with City's assistant manager Pep Lijnders having worked with Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool.

Lijnders and Alexander-Arnold spent several years together at Anfield. The Dutch coach was Jurgen Klopp's deputy for six years in their second spell working together and that spell saw the Reds win the Champions League and Premier League.

During this time, Alexander-Arnold matured significantly as a player, to the point where many saw him as a future Liverpool captain. Lijnders himself was among those who endorsed Alexander-Arnold for the captaincy back in 2021.

"I'm so proud of Trent," Lijnders expressed to club media during Liverpool's pre-season tour ahead of the 2021/22 season. "He was this natural technical talent when he was just 15 years old. He had all the characteristics I loved: a mentality to win, passionate to improve but his emotions sometimes took control instead of him taking control over the emotions. He trained with so much power and competition.

"He grew step by step into the wonderful guy he is now, surrounded by a lovely family, he created this superb personality. He has this aggression in a positive way. If someone represents this quote of Bill Shankly it's him: playing at the highest level isn't pressure, it's a reward.

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"I still see the same fire in his eyes in each training, but I don't see this young guy anymore; I see a leader, I see someone who controls his emotions, a future captain. A leader by example.

"The best clubs have one thing in common, a 'one club' mentality. The culture spreads through all departments. It's great that our talents, the real ones, can make these steps together with our team."

Alexander-Arnold was instrumental in the 2021/22 season as Liverpool chased an unprecedented Quadruple. He featured 47 times across all competitions as Klopp's side claimed both domestic cups but fell a point short of Manchester City in the Premier League title race and were defeated by Real Madrid in the Champions League final.

The defender remained at Anfield for three further years and was appointed vice captain after Virgil van Dijk took over from Jordan Henderson as skipper. He led the team on numerous occasions, including during a Premier League triumph against Aston Villa in Klopp's final campaign, before departing for Real Madrid in the summer of 2025.

His new team approach their Champions League clash with City having finished one place and one point below Pep Guardiola's men in the league phase. The sides have faced each other in Europe on multiple occasions this decade, with Madrid triumphing in a knockout play-off last season before City securing a victory in Spain in this year's league phase.

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