Xabi Alonso has insisted that Trent Alexander-Arnold was fully prepared for the hostile reception he received on his first return to Anfield with Real Madrid since leaving Liverpool in the summer.
The home crowd jeered the former Reds defender during the warm-up and again when he was introduced for the final nine minutes of Liverpool’s 1-0 Champions League win on Tuesday evening.
Alexander-Arnold, whose mural near Anfield was defaced earlier in the day, was booed with every touch by a raucous home crowd and received a similar reaction when leaving the pitch after the final whistle.
When asked why he decided to bring Alexander-Arnold on, Alonso said: “It was an intense game, and we know the atmosphere in Anfield on a Champions League night in a European ‘Clasico’.
“We needed his quality and we needed his threat from the wing.
“(His reception) could be expected. He is professional and mature. He was ready for that, no problem.”
Alonso added: “At half-time we said we needed to be in the game to have an opportunity but then we conceded a lot of fouls and Thibaut Courtois wasn’t able to save that header from the set-piece.
“Thibaut, though, was fantastic.
“But we have to understand we can’t commit so many fouls as the game could get away from us like it did today.”
“I don’t have those feelings. We competed well, Szoboszlai had an opportunity in the first half and Thibaut made a great save but we played at a high rhythm.
“What we were lacking today was perhaps to hurt them in the final third and be a real threat.
“In the second half it was just about the small details that fell in their favour.”
“It was a bit difficult for us today. I’m not going to complain about my team, we gave it a good go.
“It was difficult for us. In our one-on-ones we weren’t able to cause problems.
“We leave with a bitter taste in the mouth but we have to analyse what we did today. We have to learn from these defeats.”
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