Alexander-Arnold is like an exhibition"
More from Pep Guardiola, who gave one of his more interesting press conferences today. The line we’ve put at the top of this page – Klopp is my biggest rival – may well hog the back pages tonight, but over on the BBC site there are some more detailed quotes, with Pep giving a boss’s-eye view of the way Liverpool have developed. (The square brackets are ours, not the Beeb’s.)
“We know we are going to defend parts of the game and sit back. Not because we want but [it’s] almost impossible [not to] for what they do. They make the pitch wider and higher, quality in the middle. Four, five years ago they were more direct, not too much between the lines.
“Now they have a good build-up with Alisson, Matip, Thiago drops [back?]. Threats in behind – Alexander-Arnold is like an exhibition, deep runners in behind. Set pieces, every corner is a threat.”
Like an exhibition! Something for Gareth Southgate to think about.