Trent Alexander-Arnold has asked his supporters to stay home when Liverpool lift the Premier League title at Anfield on Wednesday night.
Chelsea visits the champions for the last home game of the 2019/20 campaign and will be presented with the trophy they have waited for 30 years full time.
A special stage has been built at the Kop for Jurgen Klopp and his players to receive the club’s first title since 1990, but the Reds are set to celebrate fan-less inside their 54,000-seat stadium, as the ban on mass gatherings continues in force throughout the UK.
The Premier League has granted a special waiver to allow the families of players and staff to watch the game from the executive boxes and the club awaits the green light from the Ground Security Advisory Group (GSAG).
If the plans receive approval, another 200 will be allowed onto the field to bring the total in-game to around 500, but general supporters will not be able to access with firmly established security restrictions in the area.
Liverpool have continued to emphasize the importance of staying away from Anfield on game day, with Sky Sports airing the game for free on television.
Reds CEO Peter Moore reiterated the club’s stance on Monday and Alexander-Arnold has echoed those sentiments as Liverpool gears up for a historic evening at Anfield.
In a special message given to ECHO, Alexander-Arnold said: “I think that is something that we really need to get across as a team and club and I hope the fans will listen.”
“We have seen in the last few months that there are things that are bigger than football. These celebrations with the fans will be put on hold, but we will celebrate with them.”
“We know the fans are desperate to be there and we want them there. It is something that nobody wants to see happen, but this is the world we live in now.”
“There will come a time when we can celebrate with them and it will be huge for us. That is something we will do.”
“But the message from the club, the players and me, especially, is that we understand that the fans want to be there. And I probably understand that more than anyone. I know a lot of people want to be there to celebrate with us and that’s understandable.
“But as I said, there are things that are bigger than soccer and that is health and safety.”
Alexander-Arnold asked fans to listen to advice from public health experts as the club seeks to avoid similar scenes that saw around 7,000 people line up in the city’s Pier Head area the day after the title was confirmed.
With government-imposed blocking rules still in place to help reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading, Alexander-Arnold said such messages should be heard while reminding supporters of a possible parade when declaring itself safe once again. .
“Experts tell us not to meet in large groups and to be part of something like that, so we can’t,” he added.
“We need to be responsible and really think about the people in our city and the people who may be at risk.”
“Obviously, experts say young people are not as much at risk, but obviously they are parents, grandparents, front-line workers, NHS staff – they are all at risk.”
“I think we should all think of each other as a city and as fans. If you are part of this club, we don’t need to put other people at risk because there will come a time when we can celebrate it properly and we will all be part of it.
“So it’s good to get that message across just to wait, and we can eventually celebrate together.”
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