Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is aiming to secure his first Premier League victory at Anfield as the defending champions prepare to face Liverpool. The Gunners have not won a top-flight match at Anfield since September 2012, when Arteta himself started in midfield.
Past tactics and lessons
In November 2021, Arteta placed speakers next to Arsenal's training pitch to play renditions of You'll Never Walk Alone, a tactic that failed as his side lost 4-0. Reflecting on that experiment on Friday, he said: "That was many years ago, eh?"
Arteta acknowledged that emotional factors have had a negative impact in previous encounters. "Yeah, we believe that this had a bad effect on the team. So yes, whatever is good for the team, we will try to do that as much as possible," he said.
Sideline conduct under scrutiny
Arteta's behaviour on the touchline has drawn criticism, including a second caution of the season against Everton for repeatedly leaving his technical area. He dismissed the scrutiny, saying: "I don't know. Fair or unfair, there are opinions, and the reality is that last year I wasn't suspended for a single match. I will try to do my best, I think the rules are becoming harder and harder. It's something that I don't do consciously, otherwise I would not do it."
He added: "I'm just trying to help my team, try to help the players as much as possible to win the match, that's the only objective and the perception, yeah, it will depend on which parts you carry in your heart probably."
Champions' point to prove
Arsenal arrive as defending champions following a 4-0 defeat to League Two side Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday. Arteta stressed the objective remains unchanged: "After midweek, the thing that I want at Anfield is winning as well. It doesn't take anything different to that. You have to swallow some pain that's different, but objectively it remains the same."
He acknowledged the difficulty of winning at Anfield: "But when you go those stadiums, you don't win very often. That's the reality. Like the other teams, they don't win at the end of the day very often. You have to do something special, and we're going to have to be at a really high level to win and I'm confident that we will be. We've been there, so close to winning now a few times and we need to make the next step, which is winning."
