There is something about a homegrown player succeeding, especially at the top level.
Liverpool have had their fair share of local lads come through at Anfield in the last 30 years, such as Robbie Fowler, Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard.
It is one thing to force your way into the first team, but another altogether to do so and leave no doubt that you belong there for more than just your childhood postcode.
Since his debut in 2016, Trent Alexander-Arnold has established himself in a Liverpool team that has been enjoying as much success as any other in the last three decades.
It hasn't all been plain sailing though, and as recently as a year ago, he was the subject of fierce wider debate regarding whether he even deserved a place in the England squad.
Although not his first team debut, it was an unlikely start against Manchester United at Old Trafford in January 2017 that was the real beginning of his journey. The skinny teenager managed relatively well in the 1-1 draw under the circumstances.
It was just a taste, but in the following season he forced his way past the dependable Nathaniel Clyne to become the Reds' first choice right-back.
Clyne had many admirers at Anfield, but Jurgen Klopp wanted more from his full-backs and he knew Alexander-Arnold's mouldable talent and potential was worth persevering with.
He has since emerged as one of the finest right-backs of his generation, which is quite an achievement given he played in midfield at youth level, only being moved to his current position in order to find an easier route into the first team.
Alexander-Arnold was starting a Champions League final at the age of 19, before lifting Europe's greatest prize a year later, and winning the Premier League a year after that.
His corner taken quickly to Divock Origi in the 4-0 win against Barcelona in the Champions League and his goals against Chelsea and Leicester City in Liverpool's march to the title the following year showed he was far from an also-ran in arguably Europe's best team.
At the age of 21, the Merseyside maestro had a medal haul that would make most retired players jealous.
His ability to be a prominent part of Liverpool's attack under Klopp from right-back has mostly been unquestioned, with his delivery from dead balls and in open play often compared to former England captain David Beckham.
However, it was Alexander-Arnold's international career, or lack thereof, that began the debate about his true level.
England are blessed with a solid selection of right-backs, with Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker often preferred by Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate, and Reece James and Tariq Lamptey threatening to be further future competition.
While the 23-year-old is not always the most resolute of defenders, it does sometimes feel as though his mistakes are viewed with more scrutiny given how strong Liverpool's defence was between 2018 and 2020, particularly following the arrivals of Alisson and Virgil van Dijk.
The Reds conceded 38 goals in the league in 2017-18, followed by just 22 in 2018-19. They let in 33 the season after, though it must be noted 12 of those came after they had won the league and appeared to be in cruise control.
They were back up to 42 conceded in the league last season and their form had dropped off a cliff by the time Alexander-Arnold's performances were in the spotlight.
It was no ordinary campaign for Liverpool, though, who actually topped the league at Christmas only for injuries to centre-backs to catch up with them.
Van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip had all been sidelined for the remainder of the season, which meant midfield duo Fabinho and Jordan Henderson having to fill in. This was of course not only a step down for the defence, but also significantly weakened the midfield.
Temporary solutions were sought but results did not turn around until Klopp abandoned his usual tactics and resorted to putting two very inexperienced but large figures back there in Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams.
The knock-on effect for Alexander-Arnold as well as the rest of the team was that the usually well-oiled unit were thrown completely off course. The full-backs could not enjoy their usual freedom because the stand-in centre-backs either needed more support or were sat so deep that it would have ruined the shape to play as high as usual.
Liverpool were able to claw their way into the top four by the season's end, but Alexander-Arnold's output had been affected.
In 2018-19 in all competitions, he registered 15 assists and created 70 chances in 40 games, before getting the same number of assists and creating 109 chances in 49 games the next year.
However, in 2020-21, Alexander-Arnold managed just nine assists and 96 chances created in 45 games.
Was this just a dip as a result of the rest of the team going through a tricky patch, or a sign of his previous numbers simply being too high to maintain?
Alexander-Arnold has shown so far this season that it was indeed just a blip, as he has thrived again in a more stable Reds team, already achieving 15 assists in all competitions in just 26 games, as well as creating 71 chances and 15 big chances (whereby a team-mate would be expected to score), just four shy of the amount he created in the whole of last season.
He leads the Premier League for assists (10), while he has also created the second most chances (58) behind Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes (64) having played two games fewer, and has also played the most successful long balls of any outfield player (128).
Will he ever work as well for England? He has more than enough talent to do so but given his best performances at club level involve being creative from deep and roaming into midfield, which is not exactly possible in Southgate's compact 3-4-3 set-up with two holding midfielders, it seems unlikely for now.
As a normal lad from Liverpool whose dreams have come true, it seems unlikely that Alexander-Arnold will look beyond achieving more success for his boyhood club.
With the Reds still in four competitions this season, and a Champions League last-16 with Inter on the horizon, the Kop will only care about seeing even more world-class performances arrive from the man they cheerfully remind us all is the Scouser in their team.
Flick: Barcelona must 'eliminate mistakes' to claim Champions League win
Barcelona's recent form is a worry for Hansi Flick as they looked to end a two-match winless run against Brest in the Champions League.
Barca went on a remarkable seven-game winning streak through October and early November before stumbling to a 1-0 loss at Real Sociedad and a 2-2 draw at Celta Vigo in LaLiga, with Lamine Yamal absent from both matches.
After losing their opening Champions League match to Monaco, Barcelona have since won three in a row, including a thumping 4-1 win over Bayern Munich.
Flick, who took charge in May, said his young squad need to learn to cope with adversity and that a positive result against Brest would be a good start.
"The important thing is to win and that is our focus for tomorrow's game," Flick told a press conference. "It's about eliminating the mistakes, this is important. We have a lot of things we can do better with the ball and this is the focus.
"We have a young team, the youngest in LaLiga, and it's not always an easy ride... It is important that the players know that they are good, that they have quality and that they have to stick together.
"We want to teach them and I always think positively. It's a young team and during the season it's normal to have times like this. For me, the important thing is to learn from it."
Barcelona will again be without Yamal for their Champions League tie as he continues to recover from an ankle sprain, with the team having lost all three LaLiga games which he has not started this season.
He has been pivotal to the Blaugrana this campaign and is the only player across Europe's big five leagues to complete 25+ dribbles (34), create 25+ chances (26), have 25+ shots (39), score 5+ goals (five) and provide 5+ assists (seven).
"We all know how talented he [Yamal] is and how his quality on the pitch can impact a game," Flick added.
"Lamine has a quality that allows you to have more control of possession but also makes the opponent give us more space.
"I think and hope that this will be the last game he misses because [on Monday] he was looking very good [in training] but we will have to wait. I hope that on Saturday he will be an option... maybe from the bench... but we'll see."
Defender Inigo Martinez backed his teammates to overcome Yamal's absence.
"We know how important Lamine is... he gives us a lot, is a difference maker who pushes the defensive line back, he is aggressive, generates assists and a lot of fear in the opponent," Martinez said.
"He is vital and very important, but that doesn't mean that the next player to come on won't be up to the similar level.
"Anyone who jumps in at Barcelona needs to be capable of playing at the highest level. The day that Lamine doesn't play, and we win, this chat that we can't win without him will vanish. We have enough [in the] squad to win every game."
Guardiola demands commitment from Man City players after losing run
Pep Guardiola says Manchester City players have to be completely committed to the club's cause as they look to end their poor run against Feyenoord.
City's losing streak stretched to five matches when Tottenham stunned the Premier League champions with a 4-0 win at the Etihad on Saturday, marking the first time Guardiola has lost five games in a row in his managerial career.
It is also the first time the club have lost five consecutive matches in all competitions since April 2006. In fact, City are the first reigning top-flight champions to lose five games in a row in all competitions since Chelsea in March 1956.
Their campaign has been hindered by a rash of injuries, with Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, Ruben Dias, Mateo Kovacic, Jeremy Doku and Oscar Bobb among those currently on the sidelines.
Guardiola, who signed a two-year contract extension at City last week, has led them to 18 major trophies, including six Premier League titles and a Champions League crown, and urged the team to stick to their philosophy.
"Look at where we've come from. It's so difficult to defend the success we have had, that's why I'm so relaxed. That is why I want the commitment, the commitment, the commitment and the commitment," Guardiola told reporters on Monday.
"Just being ourselves isn't enough, we have to show commitment every day.
"Just because this team won a lot, a lot, a lot for many, many, many years. I think in the situation, we have to go direct to our principles, change less more than ever.
"We create a lot of chances. We're not winning the duels. We have to run backwards because our first centre-backs are not there. Rodri is not there.
"We normally play four central defenders, but we have injuries, we had to play [Ilkay] Gundogan, our best attacking midfielder, as a defensive midfielder because of injuries ... What do we have to do? Insist. If not Tuesday, next Sunday. If not, the next game. We keep trying."
City are currently eight points adrift of leaders Liverpool, who they face on Sunday, in the Premier League, and Guardiola said his side were not, at present, ready to win the league but stressed that this phase will pass.
"We need to win one game. I want the players to perform well. In certain departments, we need more focus. It will pass. It's going to rain tomorrow, life goes on," he added.
City are 10th in the 36-team Champions League table with seven points from four games, two points off the automatic qualification places. Feyenoord are a point behind in 21st.
After drawing their opener in the competition, Guardiola's side recorded big wins over Slovan Bratislava and Sparta Prague before falling to Sporting CP in their most recent outing.
Asked how he planned to turn City's form around, the Spaniard said: "Prepare for the next game, try to beat them, which is Feyenoord. I don't know any other way.
"It's the same as winning seven games in a row? What should I change? Impossible. The players have played a lot of minutes, we have players who are injured. It's unusual."
Hayes has 'smile' back after stress made her feel 'unwell' at Chelsea
Emma Hayes revealed she feels refreshed as the United States head coach after stress at the end of her time at Chelsea made her feel "unwell".
Hayes was in charge of the Blues for 12 years, during which she won seven Women's Super League titles, including each of the last five between 2019-20 and 2023-24.
Overall, she oversaw 345 games in all competitions, winning 244 of those (70.72%-win rate).
The 48-year-old left Chelsea at the end of last season, pulling off a stunning comeback in the WSL title race to beat Manchester City to the title on goal difference, and took over as the USA women's head coach in May.
She led the team to Olympic gold in her first tournament, going unbeaten on their tournament run in Paris.
Asked about the perks of international football compared to a domestic level, Hayes admitted the latter had taken its toll on her.
"I don't have to sacrifice the things that made me healthy. I didn't feel healthy at the end, I actually felt unwell at the end of my time at Chelsea," she said in a press conference.
"It wasn't pressure, it was the stress and toll it took on me and doing that during menopause was even harder.
"To get on top of all of those things, I've got my mojo back and my smile and enjoyment back, which I didn't realise I had lost."
The USA will face England at Wembley on Saturday, and Hayes will face off against some of her former players, with Millie Bright, Hannah Hampton and Aggie Beever-Jones in the Lionesses squad.
Hayes, though, is determined to keep her unbeaten start as USA head coach intact against her home nation.
"I'm looking forward to seeing Sarina [Wiegman]," she said. "Of course, I need to go through a weird moment when the national anthems are being played.
"I'll hum along to it [God Save the King] being the English person I am, but also the same for the US one because I love it, I love both anthems.
"Beyond that weird moment and coming up against players I've gone to war with, it's business come kick-off. I hope it's an entertaining game and a sell-out."
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