Arsenal versus Liverpool has been a blockbuster fixture throughout the Premier League era, so it’s little surprise to hear Mikel Arteta is relishing the latest meeting between the sides at Emirates Stadium.
The Reds may be champions, but after a torrid first half of the season they arrive very much licking their wounds. Arsenal, by contrast, are flying domestically, sitting six points clear at the top of the table at the time of writing. Even so, Arteta insists his side still have a point to prove – particularly after August’s narrow defeat at Anfield, a scrappy affair settled by a late thunderbolt of a free-kick from Dominik Szoboszlai.
“Obviously, I’m very excited, it’s a massive game, against the champions of the last Premier League, and we have a point to prove,” he told his pre-game press conference.
On exactly what that point is, he continued: “We are top of the table, we play at home against a really, really good opponent and we want to maintain our position, and in order to do that, we’re going to have to be excellent throughout the game to win the game and that’s the point we have to prove.
“Every week we have a point to prove. We had it a few days ago against Bournemouth after a great win against Villa and it’s going to continue like that until May and we know that because once we are in the position that we are in we want to maintain and extend the lead that we have and in order to do that our level of determination and desire has to be with that mindset.”
Few would have predicted Liverpool’s season would unravel in quite such dramatic fashion, particularly after a summer spend of £446 million that included big-money arrivals Florian Wirtz (£116.5m), Alexander Isak (£125m) and Hugo Ekitike (£79m). The tragic passing of Diogo Jota cast a long shadow, injuries have disrupted continuity, and yet being 14 points adrift of Arsenal after 20 games still represents a sizeable gap.
So how does Arteta assess the challenge his opponents still pose?
“The margins I think for all of us are very small, we always talk about that. They have a great manager and they have a sensational structure, understanding what they have to do.
“In relation to the players that they select tomorrow in the line-up, they can play in different ways, because at the end, those will make them a little bit different and more specific to what we can expect.
“We have to be conscious of that and then focus on what we have to do.”
He added: “I still think that they are a superb team, and what they’ve done as well, and you have to understand as well the context they’ve had with certain injuries, and the difficulty of the league for all of us, but my opinion hasn’t changed about them.”
The home crowd will certainly have a significant role to play. The club has worked with supporters’ groups on a pre-game activation aimed at setting the tone, encouraging fans to be in their seats early. But more than holding up a recyclable plastic bag, Arteta knows it’s the noise that truly lifts his players.
“We’re going to have our crowd, our supporters – [get there] very early, before 8 o’clock, everybody – creating an amazing atmosphere, and I’m looking forward to it.
“They’ve been unbelievable again this season, and it makes such a difference; we’ve become a different team.
“The level of energy, commitment, confidence, desire that we can show in every action is transmitted by them, and we need them tomorrow in every ball.”
On what it feels like to play with that backing, he continued: “There’s nothing like it, I mean you become a different player, your emotional status is better, your energy level is better, your confidence is better, they drive you to get action without a lot of aggression, without a lot of determination and that lifts the whole team. So that’s what we have to provide tomorrow.”
After spending much of the first half of the season firefighting near-constant injuries, Arteta goes into the game with 23 of his 26 first-team players available.
Only Max Dowman, Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera are ruled out, though the latter two are edging closer to a return.
On their progress, the manager said: “I think pretty soon [they will be back], they have to go to the last stage of the rehab, and if everything goes well, hopefully very soon they will be available for selection.”
Having missed the trip to Bournemouth, Kai Havertz – whose load is being carefully managed as he builds back to full fitness – is back in contention.
“We are obviously monitoring his load,” said Arteta. “He has been out for a long time for two different reasons, and he is very close. He trained this morning again, and hopefully, we are going to have him available, and his best version.”
Following Saturday’s win at Bournemouth, a couple of stats did the rounds. After 20 Premier League games, Arsenal have never previously held a lead as large as the six-point gap over Aston Villa and Manchester City. And even the Invincibles couldn’t match this side’s points tally at the same stage; 48 compared to 46.
Arteta was quick to dampen comparisons with Arsène Wenger’s 2003/04 side.
“No, because the Invincibles won a lot, and they won consistently, and they created that history and legacy, and we have to do that.
“Obviously, there are a lot of stats, but in the last two or three years, as well, we’ve had stats and more points and more goals in the history of this and that.
“At the end, we have to translate that to major trophies, and that’s what we want to do. Probably now what we are doing would have been enough [back then to win the league], but now it’s not enough, and we have to make the margins even bigger, and that’s what we have to aim for.”