Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has challenged his players to end their 14-year wait for a Premier League victory at Anfield when they face Liverpool on Sunday.
The Gunners last won a league match at the stadium in 2012 and have since endured a difficult run of results against the Reds on their home ground.
However, Arteta believes his side have an opportunity to break the record and has urged them to approach the encounter with confidence and determination.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday ahead of the fixture, the Spaniard said his players must seize the opportunity to end the long wait for victory.
“It’s 14 years that we haven’t won there, so it’s time to do it.”
Arteta added that Arsenal had previously overcome similar long-standing winless records at other grounds, expressing confidence that his team could achieve the same at Anfield.
“It’s an opportunity. I came here and in many places we were 20, 22 years, 18 years without winning, and we’ve been doing all these things, so on Sunday, that’s the opportunity that we have.”
The Arsenal boss said his players had discussed how to approach the encounter, stressing the need for a determined performance and a clear attacking purpose.
“Well, going there with full conviction, that’s number one, and we’ve been very, very close in the last few years to win. But something is missing, and that’s what we’ve been discussing the last few days. To go there with a real purpose. To hurt them and get away from there with a victory,” he said.
Arteta also identified Liverpool’s aggressive pressing as one of the major challenges his side must overcome, noting that both teams share similar tactical approaches. He was referring to Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola, his former teammate, who took charge of the Reds.
“We are both teams very aggressive in our high press, not giving any time to the opponent. I know Andoni really well. So we’re both going to face a lot of moments that are very similar, and to escape or to break that, it will be important. But it will be not the only aspect that it’s relevant to win the game,” he said.
The Spaniard also warned about Liverpool’s attacking threat, particularly striker Alexander Isak, insisting that Arsenal must limit the forward’s opportunities and prevent him from finding space around the penalty area.
“By keeping him as far from the goal as possible. We always try, it’s not only him, it’s all the connections that they have, especially when they have space to run. We know how dangerous they are in that kind of moment, and the quality of the striker that we are talking about. That’s the opposition in the Premier League,” Arteta said.
Arsenal will travel to Anfield on Sunday, November 1, seeking their first Premier League victory at the ground since 2012.
