’90s icon Liverpool and Dortmund ‘change’ their names and declare ‘let’s have fun’

From the staggered opening of a new Anfield stand to the departure of a much-loved manager and the arrival of so many new faces behind the scenes, this has already been a year of almost unprecedented overhauls at Liverpool.

But for former Liverpool favorite Patrik Berger, there is one change that simply cannot be allowed any time soon.

“There is no way Liverpool will allow Trent to leave,” he says, referring to Trent Alexander-Arnold who is approaching the final 12 months of his current contract. “He’s a local lad, he won everything there, he’s young and can play for another 10 years, you can use him in different positions. He’s an unbelievable player – his new contract has to be a priority.”

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While the Reds are in a similar position with both Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, Berger believes the duo are in very different situations. “The new manager needs his best players,” he says. “Van Dijk is one of the best defenders in the world and this season he has returned to his best level.

“Mo Salah, some people criticize him but he’s still creating chances and scoring goals. I think it will depend on what Mo wants to do. Trent and Van Dijk I expect to extend, I’m not sure about Mo but I think we’ll find out very, very soon.”

Berger has undergone a makeover of its own – at least temporarily – by renaming it “Hat Trick Berger” to promote McDonald’s new The Hat Trick burger, which is available for a limited time. “If you think about it – Patrik, hat trick, Berger, burger, it’s a lot alike, so why not?” he laughs. “Have fun!”

After almost nine years with Jurgen Klopp as manager, Liverpool are entering a new era that will be something unfamiliar to many of the team. But Berger is confident the players will take the arrival of new head coach Arne Slot in stride.

“When a new boss comes in, you deal with it,” he says, speaking to the ECHO. “Managers can be changed or fired but you have a deal for a number of years so you just try to do your best for the team. A new manager may have different ideas, so just try to do what they ask.

“There’s always a concern that you might not be their type of player, every manager has their own style of football and you might be the one they don’t really need. But on the other hand, it might be good for others to have more. by a chance.

“The Liverpool board knew Jurgen Klopp was leaving for six or seven months before he left, so I’m sure they’ve done their homework and I think Slot is the right man for the job. it will be difficult – at least at first”.

Slott inherited a team that gained significant momentum during a season in which Liverpool won the League Cup and saw an unlikely challenge for the Premier League title fall away only in recent weeks.

“No one expected anything in the off-season, to be fair,” says Berger. “But they did so well and the new players settled in so quickly.

“When they won the League Cup people were excited and expected more silverware but it didn’t come. The fans may be disappointed by that but I think it’s been a good season. Liverpool have done very well considering everything the changes they had, but it was a very strange season in the sense that Jurgen Klopp is leaving. Emotions were up and down all the time.

“I think the team is good – they have proved that this season. They have a great goalkeeper and the number two goalkeeper could be number one anywhere else in the Premier League. Defensively they are solid, the midfielders are good and the attacking players are really good in every department Liverpool are strong but the new manager will be looking to bring in his own players but this season proves they can compete at a high level.

Berger even believes a little extra wealth would have made the difference for Liverpool in the Premier League. “Look what VAR did to Liverpool – if that hadn’t happened we’d probably be champions,” he claims. “It’s hard to say where Liverpool’s weakness is, because if VAR was there they could have won the Premier League. Sometimes, though, it’s down to a bit of luck – they had chances against United, Atalanta and Palace in key games and purely and they simply did” Don’t take it if you don’t risk it, it’s difficult to win things, especially in key games and key moments”.

As an attacking midfielder in his prime, Berger had his eye on one Liverpool player in particular. “Harvey Elliott is a great player, I love watching him,” he says. “Liverpool don’t have anyone like that in midfield, he’s the one who tries to create, he’s got a good shot, great vision, he’s someone they need in the team. But sometimes it was difficult for him because the way Jurgen Klopp played, the three midfielders worked hard, so it was difficult to find a place for Harvey, but every time he played he proved that it was enough good to play regularly.

Liverpool’s third-place finish brought a return to the Champions League after a season-long absence, which Berger believes will prove beneficial when looking to recruit players this summer.

“The Champions League is the best competition in club football,” he says. “As a Liverpool player and supporter, it’s where you want to be every year. The best players in the world want to play for the best teams in the best competitions. The Premier League is the best domestic league in the world and The Champions League is the best cup competition. You want to play in both and have the chance to win them both – and that’s what Liverpool can offer the players.”

Berger, of course, will be particularly interested in Saturday’s Champions League final at Wembley, when another of his former clubs, Borussia Dortmund, will try to defy the odds and stop juggernaut Real Madrid.

“Last season Dortmund lost the league in the last game, then Jude Bellingham went to Madrid, so they probably thought they wouldn’t be as strong,” he says. “The Bundesliga is hard to win, this year Leverkusen is probably the best team in Europe. But in the Champions League, Dortmund did what they had to do. I thought they were lucky against PSG in the semi-finals, but you need luck. Along the way, they only have one game and they can beat anybody in one game. They will have a lot of support and I really think they have a chance.

Patrik Berger is encouraging fans to win with McDonald’s new burger – The Hat Trick, available in store and delivery nationwide now. The perfect pre-game bite