Arsenal face Liverpool on Thursday night looking to further prove their Premier League title credentials
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta in training on Wednesday
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta in training on Wednesday
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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta insists any comparisons with the Invincibles are premature - admitting his Arsenal side must “win consistently” before any comparisons are made.
Arsenal are top of the Premier League table ahead of tonight's meeting with champions Liverpool, and have more points and more goals than the 2003-04 vintage at this stage in the season. But the Gunners boss is more than aware that they have some way to go until their secure their ultimate goal of winning the title.
As such, the Spaniard is not taking anything for granted, knowing that the only thing that matters at the Emirates right now is ensuring that when the season is over, silverware has been lifted.
"No, because the Invincibles won a lot," was Arteta's response at his pre-match press conference when asked if his current crop are as good as Arsene Wenger's golden squad. “And they won consistently, and they created a history and a legacy, and we have to do that.”
Liverpool's season has been one of disappointment thus far, their title defence having wilted some time ago, leaving them 14 points behind Arsenal ahead of the meeting in North London. But Arteta was full of praise for the Reds and Arne Slot.
"The margins I think for all of us are really small, we always talk about that,” Arteta said. “They have a great manager, they have a sensational structure. Understanding what they have to do in relation to the players that they select tomorrow on the line, and 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 tomorrow, and we have to be conscious of that and then focus on what we have to do.”
Asked if he was surprised at how far behind his side Liverpool sit, considering the Merseysiders' vast summer outlay - over £400million - on fresh talent, Arteta responded: “I don’t know But I think the previous year they didn’t spend much and they managed to win the Premier League. That’s football, and that’s the reality of that. At the end, you need a lot of things to go your way to be champions, and almost everything has to be perfect.
“The moment you have issues around the squad or with players injured or whatever it is, then it is not that perfect. We all have gone through those stages, and we go through those stages throughout the season, and we have to navigate through that.”
Things were very different for Liverpool and Arsenal back in August
Things were very different for Liverpool and Arsenal back in August
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Nevertheless, Arteta insisted that, amid suggestions Liverpool's season was proof major investment doesn't necessarily guarantee success: "There are a lot of stories - especially when you talk about the level of wages that you spend on the squad and the level of players that you have. Over a certain period of time, you are going to be very successful.
"That’s the history of the Premier League. It is not something that I am saying that has happened time after time in this league over the years.”
Kai Havertz is in contention to feature tonight, having trained on Wednesday morning.
"We are monitoring his load," Arteta confirmed. "He's been out for a long time for two different reasons. He's very close. He trained this morning again. Hopefully we're going to have him available and the best version of himself."
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