Arsenal, who are now atop the Premier League, play Liverpool on Sunday, and while they will be put to the test, manager Mikel Arteta noted that there is still much opportunity for growth.
The Gunners have won seven of their first eight games and are one point ahead of the champions Manchester City going into the weekend. Manchester City will play Southampton on Saturday. Prior to the encounter at the Emirates Stadium, Liverpool, the 2019–20 champions and runner-up in the previous season, are in ninth place with just two victories in seven games. Last time, in March, they triumphed 2-0 there. According to Arteta, facing one of the league’s best opponents was “very exciting.” We will have to perform at the top of our game once more because it will be an extremely hard contest.
“It’s a match that everyone is looking forward to against a rival who has demonstrated their level over the past five or six years, and we have to demonstrate that we have lifted the bar and are prepared to compete with them.” Arsenal has not lost at home in the league, with their lone loss coming against Manchester United last month. Arteta said he was proud of the transformation in the club’s culture.
He added, “Lifting trophies is one way to judge achievement, but you also need to appreciate where we were and how disjointed the club and environment appeared.”
The goal now is to do it every three days. “You constantly notice the deficiencies that you want to overcome,” said the coach, “and I am quite cognizant that we can get much better than what we are today.
