Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger visited plenty of tip-top stadiums across his long and storied career in the dugout, spanning north of two decades, but backed Liverpool’s home of Anfield as being ‘the most heated stadium in Europe’.
Remembered for overseeing a terrific job with the Gunners – most notably their ‘Invincibles’ season in 2003/04 when they trundled to a never-been-done unbeaten campaign in the Premier League – the Frenchman is one of the best to ever do it in England.
Back when he was in charge of the north London-based outfit, Strasbourg-born Wenger claimed that he favoured his annual trip to the red side of Merseyside. Talking to Bein Sports, per The Independent, the now-75-year-old, after Liverpool's memorable comeback against Barcelona in the Champions League, said: “In Europe they do well. Why? Anfield.
“[For a] home game, this is the most heated stadium in Europe in a return game. It is the only place you don’t want to go. The atmosphere – everything – is special there. There's special vibes there. The song before the game, You’ll Never Walk Alone, the history of the club and the stadium itself.
The former Arsenal tactician, one of the greatest managers in Premier League history, once hailed Highbury as a venue topping his list, but that changed in 2006 when the Gunners’ previous stomping ground stadium closed its doors for the final time following the move to the Emirates Stadium.
“Before, it was Highbury. It had a special soul. Now it’s Everton, Liverpool, Newcastle was great too. Football is like what it was 30 years ago because of the environment of the game. The passion, the soul of the stadium. It has the most heated, supportive atmosphere.
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The noise inside Anfield, largely generated by The Kop, has long been revered as electric and, as such, it’s no surprise to see the venue – which has a recently increased capacity of 61,276 – commonly admired as one of the most atmospheric in the world.
Wenger, now working as a Director of Development for FIFA, travelled with his north London-based outfit to Anfield on 25 occasions, starting with a League Cup fourth round tie in November 1996 and ending with a Premier League meeting in August 2017.
Liverpool won 11 of their meetings with Wenger on home turf, scoring 58 goals. Arsenal netted a less favourable 40 strikes and won just seven of their visits up north. The two sides also drew on seven occasions.