Opinion: Trent soap opera has turned what should be a time for celebration into recrimination | OneFootball

This time two weeks ago, life felt perfect for Liverpool supporters.

As a record-equalling 20th league title was secured in emphatic fashion on a gloriously sunny evening at a raucous Anfield, as fans made up for being locked out of the stadium when we were last champions five years ago, the red half of Merseyside was party central.

Even watching from afar, the communal feeling of joy as players, coaches and backroom staff celebrated with an adoring fan base was vivid and intoxicating. It was a feeling that we wished would go on forever. Instead, it’s lasted for a fortnight.

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Liverpool fans let Alexander-Arnold have it

On Sunday, Liverpool drew 2-2 at home to Arsenal after relinqushing a two-goal interval lead. Ordinarily that’d be a cause for massive frustration, but the scoreline mattered little with the Premier League title already sewn up…and yet the mood inside Anfield was more sulphurous than it has been for a long time.

The Reds’ first home match as newly-crowned champions won’t be remembered for the Gunners giving what must’ve been a grudging guard of honour before kick-off, or for the two goals in 87 seconds from Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz as the hosts threatened to run riot in the first half.

The enduring memory of yesterday’s match will unfortunately be the audible booing of Trent Alexander-Arnold when he came on as a substitute in the 67th minute as Kopites made their feelings clear in the wake of the club’s vice-captain choosing to leave on a free transfer this summer.

Alexander-Arnold had it all at Liverpool

The antagonism isn’t because he’s departing on a free per se, or even that he’s going to Real Madrid, but rather that he opted not to extend his contract beyond 2025, and that his only public communication about his future all season has been in the form of cryptic gestures (e.g. his celebration after scoring against West Ham).

He could’ve had it all at Anfield. Actually, he did have it all at Anfield. A trophy winner more seasons than not, vice-captain of his hometown club, a fan base who adored him and fought his corner when many mainstream pundits were tearing him a new one because of this notion that he “can’t defend”.

He grew up watching the Liverpool of Steven Gerrard occasionally challenge for major trophies but winning precious few. He grew up watching a Reds captain who turned down the chance of a potentially life-changing career move because his ties with the place he calls home were too strong to sever.

Our former midfielder will continue to be cherished by the Kop for many a generation. That could’ve been Alexander-Arnold too, but he gave that up in favour of joining his close pal Jude Bellingham in Madrid.

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Alexander-Arnold soap opera spoiling what should be a time of celebration for Liverpool fans

His career, his choice. We respect Trent’s right to make the decisions that he wants, so long as he’s prepared to accept that it could come at an enormous reputational cost within his native city.

We’re not here to lecture anyone on how they should feel about the whole saga. If you believe that the 26-year-old is within his rights to take on a new challenge elsewhere, that’s fine. If you’re one of those who booed him at Anfield yesterday, we won’t condemn you for that.

For us, the biggest shame is that the whole sorry mess has turned what ought to be a time of celebration into one of recrimiation instead, with finger-pointing and tone-deaf pontificating from pundits aplenty, along with an inevitable outpouring of toxicity on social media.

It seems paradoxical that yours truly would feel happier after seeing Liverpool losing a game of football than after watching them draw, yet that was the case in the aftermath of our two most recent matches.

The Reds lost 3-1 at Chelsea last weekend but we were too busy revelling in our status as newly-crowned champions to be bothered about the result. Arne Slot’s team drew against Arsenal yesterday and played well for much of the afternoon, yet the mood since that match has been sour.

That’s what the whole Alexander-Arnold saga has done. Hearing reports of LFC fans at Anfield arguing among themselves over the booing of the 26-year-old, we can’t help but feel that this really isn’t the way it should be just two weeks after the ecstasy of winning the league.

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Hopefully as Liverpool fans we can just enjoy the final two games of a wonderful season

Having earned the privileged position of becoming champions with four matches to spare, those fixtures in May ought to have been watched purely for enjoyment amid the rare and welcome absence of the usual pressure to get a result.

Sadly, the euphoria of 27 April already feels like a distant memory because of the fallout from the vice-captain’s career crossroads.

Hindsight is the greatest judge, of course, but had Slot known the extent of the vitriol which’d be aimed at Trent yesterday, we suspect that the player wouldn’t even have been in the matchday squad, let alone brought onto the pitch with a quarter of the match remaining.

For Liverpool fans under the age of 40, winning a league title has been an all too rare experience – when it happens, we ought to enjoy it for everything it’s worth and not have anything dilute that wonderful feeling of accomplishment.

Unfortunately that wasn’t the prevailing mood at Anfield yesterday evening from 6pm onwards, but at least the mood music inside the stadium will be rather different at the same time on Sunday week.

Now that supporters have let off steam over how they feel about Alexander-Arnold, the final home match of a glorious campaign on 25 May should be a day of celebration amid a carnival atmosphere as the champions are presented with the Premier League trophy.