Jurgen Klopp believes Trent Alexander-Arnold's performance against Newcastle United highlighted why the Liverpool youngster is a “very, very, very smart” footballer.
Alexander-Arnold moved on to 11 Premier League assists for the season by creating first-half goals for Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah in the Reds' 3-2 win at St James' Park on Saturday.
The 20-year-old is now level with team-mate Andy Robertson, with both having now equalled the Premier League record for most assists by a defender in a campaign.
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Alexander-Arnold had been surprisingly overlooked for the Champions League semi-final first leg at Barcelona three days earlier, remaining on the bench as Joe Gomez started at right-back in the 3-0 defeat.
But when asked if it was a setback for Alexander-Arnold to miss out at Camp Nou, Klopp said: “If he would have played against Barcelona, imagine on the right wing it's a boy and we have Joe Gomez ready and it's an intense game with another three days later and another five days later, so I make decisions before the game.
“It's not a blow for him by the way, because he's very, very, very smart. He knows he can't play all the games and he knows that I don't make a difference between Newcastle and Barcelona.
“If he makes a difference, it's not going to change it. For me there's no difference, that's 100% clear.”
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Klopp shared a quick word with Newcastle's former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez after the final whistle.
And asked what the Spaniard had said to him, Klopp said: “Congratulations – but we cannot have a drink, because we have the round of honour!”
