come through the Academy.
Everyone around me was
made-up and really proud to see
me step out onto the pitch in a
Merseyside derby. Since I was
a little boy that was always the
dream for me.
Growing up, being a local lad,
you try to recreate goals from
derby games when you're
playing and you'd sit and watch
the derby with your whole
family. The atmosphere would
be different. There would be a lot
more tension in the air if Everton
scored or there would be a lot
more joy if Liverpool scored on
the day, so to be able to be part
of that on the pitch for the first
time was definitely special.
I remember stepping out onto
the touchline and, I don't know...
feeling really small, really tiny,
because of the amount of noise
that was being made by both
sets of fans. It was unbelievable.
How much confidence does
it give you to play in a team
like this which knows how
to score goals?
It gives us a lot of confidence
because we know going into a
game where if the defenders
and defensive midfielders do
their jobs right, then there is a big
chance of winning the game. If
we set that solid foundation with
a clean-sheet then hopefully
the strikers will get the goals
because that's what they do on
a daily basis in training.
Maybe the amount of goals
we have
scored has
come as a
surprise tosome people, but it doesn't to
me because I see it on a daily
basis at Melwood. To then see it
work so very well in the games
is unbelievable, and hopefully
it'll mean more goals against
Everton.Our FA Cup campaign starts
tonight but how much are you
enjoying be part of a team
challenging for a top-four
spot and in the last 16 of the
Champions League?
It's an honour to be part of the
Liverpool team no matter where
we are in the table and no
matter how far we get in the cup
competitions. I just want to be in
and around the team no matter
where we are. But it's especially
good to be part of a team that
is doing well because it fills
me with confidence.What is it like to work
with Jürgen Klopp?
He's really good with
man-management. He
knows how often and
how long players canTRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD