Liverpool fans were momentarily distracted from their team’s important Champions League last-16 second leg against Paris Saint-Germain when footage emerged on Monday showing the two players being separated during training.
The pair, who are both nearing the end of their contracts and could leave Anfield this summer, appeared to have a disagreement, with Alexander-Arnold looking particularly unimpressed. ..Continue Reading
The interaction was captured and shared online, as UEFA permits media outlets to observe and film the first 30 minutes of team training sessions ahead of European fixtures.
Liverpool currently holds a narrow 1-0 advantage over PSG, following a late victory in Paris last week. To secure their place in the quarter-finals, the team will need top performances from Salah and Alexander-Arnold.
However, fans need not worry about any actual conflict between the two. According to the Liverpool Echo, who witnessed the session firsthand, the interaction was nothing more than playful banter between two close teammates.
The duo was later spotted laughing and joking together after training, and both are expected to feature in Arne Slot’s starting XI for the PSG clash.
Salah, now 32, has previously referred to himself as Alexander-Arnold’s “big brother,” while the 26-year-old right-back recently named Salah as his closest teammate.
Alexander-Arnold told Stadium Astro: “Just how long we’ve known each other and how long we’ve played together, our bond and connection, especially on the pitch.
“Even though we could so many times, we never moan at each other. We just know each other’s style of play.”
They’ll be hoping to combine on the pitch when Liverpool host the Parisians at Anfield.
Slot told reporters at his pre-match press conference that his side will need to produce their best performance of the campaign. “I do think so because this is the most complete team we’ve faced so far,” the Reds boss explained.
“What I mean by complete – and okay, we’ve faced Arsenal and [Manchester] City and it’s not that there are big margins – but the intensity they’ve played at combined with the quality they have… they have so much quality and a great, great, great manager.
“He lets the team play in a way that is not easy to play against his team; he brings the best out of every player and he brings an incredible work-rate into the team. That’s why I think we have to be at our best tomorrow.
“But, for example, we didn’t have ball possession at all at City away but at home we had a completely different performance against City than we did away.
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