07 March 2024 , 21:57
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Ruben Dias has followed Erling Haaland in biting back at Trent Alexander-Arnold's claims that Liverpool's trophies 'mean more' to the club than Manchester City's because of the financial disadvantage to their title rivals.
The pair meet at Anfield on Sunday in a clash which could go a long way towards deciding the destination of the Premier League title, and Reds vice-captain Alexander-Arnold, although currently injured, has stoked the fires ahead of the game when discussing the rivalry.
Speaking to FourFourTwo magazine, Alexander-Arnold said: "You're up against a machine that’s built to win – that's the simplest way to describe City and their organisation.
"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 won five of the last six Premier League titles, pipping Liverpool to the post by a point on two of those occasions, while the Reds lifted the crown in the 2019-20 season, a year after they won the Champions League.
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Alexander-Arnold won the Premier League with Liverpool in 2020 (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)City finally lifted European football's major prize last season as part of their treble success, and forward Erling Haaland was quick to remind Alexander-Arnold of that when the Liverpool star's quotes were put to him by Sky Sports.
"If he wants to say that, OK," Haaland said. "I've been here one year and I won the treble and it was quite a nice feeling. I don't think he knows this feeling. That's what I felt last season, it was quite nice."
Now City vice-captain Dias has waded into the argument, and has been even more scathing about Alexander-Arnold's comments.
Erling Haaland picked up the treble with Man City in his first season (Getty Images)Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, Dias said: "We've won a lot in this club, especially last year with the Treble. I think it's pretty certain between us, between our fans, how much it meant to all of us.
"At the end of the day you can only have certain emotions if you actually win stuff. A Treble is a feeling you can only know how it feels when you actually do it.
"I think in a club like Man City and my previous club (Benfica) our greatness will be shown in a way that these comments don't affect us. We know what we've done, we know what we've conquered, we know what we're going for in what's to come. We don't do it for anyone else, we do it for ourselves.
Ruben Dias has now also slammed Alexander-Arnold (Getty Images)"Other people's success is deserved for their own achievements. What we focus on is ourselves and that's the way to move forward and that's the way to be big, a big club. Not trying to comment on other people's success and trying to make it bigger or smaller depending on how convenient it is for you."
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