'When you win five trophies, you can talk again' - Another Man City player rattled by Trent comments

It’s getting clearer by the day that Trent Alexander-Arnold’s comments about the significance of winning trophies for Liverpool’s fanbase have got under the skin of Manchester City’s players. 

The 25-year-old has won it all throughout his Liverpool career to date - including the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League in 2020, as well as a cup double in 2022.  

Trent is well placed to comment given his status as hometown hero and a lifelong Red. 

In an interview with FourFourTwo recently, he made the declaration that trophies in the eyes of Liverpool fans will always mean more given the disparity in resources between their club and Man City. 

"You're up against a machine that’s built to win – that's the simplest way to describe City and their organisation,” he said. 

"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. 

“How both clubs have built their teams and the manner in which we've done it probably means more to our fans."

City have indeed constructed an all-conquering machine since their Abu Dhabi-fuelled takeover, but are currently facing 115 charges of financial fair play breaches. 

They have won five of the last six titles under Pep Guardiola, earning the treble last season and hoovering up a wealth of other domestic, continental and intercontinental titles. 

The only team to break City’s league-winning sequence since 2018 were Liverpool, claiming the 2020 Premier League title, their first league success in three decades.

The two clubs’ rivalry has been the story of the Premier League over the last decade or so, enjoying some thrilling battles on and off the pitch. 

Akanji rises to Trent's comments

Alexander-Arnold’s latest comments have fanned the flames for City players, with both Erling Haaland and Ruben Dias biting back at the Reds' vice-captain in recent days. 

And following the weekend’s draw between Liverpool and City at Anfield, Manuel Akanji has become the latest player to have a go. 

"I don't know why he said it,” Akanji told reporters. “He didn't even play. He can't tell because he didn't win it. That's all I have to say. If you win three titles in one year, or five which we did last year, then he can speak again." 

It was also put to the Swiss defender over whether or not Trent’s comments changed City’s mentality in the days before the game.

"No. I don't think so,” he said. “Probably he tried but it didn't matter to us. I don't think it affected us. In the end, we tried to go on the pitch and try to show our performance. I mean, it didn't affect me."