Arteta wants to break the game without winning at Anfield
In the last 10 times marching to Anfield in the English Premier League, Arsenal only won one match, drew two and lost seven. This season, despite the unstable form and currently ranked eighth, Liverpool have always played well in front of the home audience when they lost only one match, a 1-2 defeat to Leeds in round 14 on October 29.
However, Arteta said his players were full of enthusiasm and confidence in the face of the challenge, and saw this as a "huge opportunity" for Arsenal to win three points at Anfield.
"This season, we went to a few pitches where the team hadn't won in 17, 18, 22 years, and broke the ball," the Spain coach said in a pre-match press conference. "So I believe Arsenal can win at Anfield. We really need to take this moment and move on. That's what's driven the whole team over the last few days."
In 2020, Arsenal won at Liverpool in the fourth round of the English League Cup. At that time, the "Gunners" held Liverpool 0-0 in official time and then won 5-4 in the penalty shootout. Mohamed Elneny is the one who failed on Arsenal's side, while Liverpool have two players who failed to do so, Harry Wilson and Divock Origi.
However, the last time Arsenal won at Anfield in the Premier League took place more than a decade ago. At the beginning of the 2012-2013 season, the "Gunners" beat Liverpool 2-0 thanks to Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski. Arteta also started that day and understands how the victory at Liverpool will motivate the students in the final stage of the race to win the Premier League this season. He said: "It feels great because before that game, Arsenal hadn't won at Liverpool in years. I have some fond memories of being at this incredible stadium, and this is a unique experience for any player. Which player or coach?"
Last season, Arsenal broke their six-match unbeaten run with a 0-4 loss at Anfield and Arteta stressed the team had learned from that performance. "We know we have to give our best and be at our best if we want to win, and we have to play better than last year. In that second half, we left a lot of space for Liverpool to exploit." 41-year-old coach analyzed.
According to Arteta, Arsenal and many other clubs have difficulty at Anfield because Liverpool have many quality players, top coaches and the fans always create an incredible atmosphere in the stands. But the Spanish coach stressed that "history does not determine the future" and that the next match will have different circumstances than previous seasons. "First, this is a different team. We have a different position and what I see is enthusiasm, positivity and what you need: courage. Courage to compete, courage to impose yourself. Go into the game and dominate. On Sunday we'll try to be that team," Arteta said.
Arsenal have lost all of their last six visits at Anfield in the Premier League with a total score of 4-22. Therefore, Arteta is very happy with the presence of Leandro Trossard - a rookie striker who scored a hat-trick to help Brighton draw 3-3 at Liverpool at the beginning of the season. He said: "It's great to have a player who has been through something really good and positive at this pitch. That's what we need, players who have a lot of faith on the pitch to help Arsenal get there. Anfield and winning."
