Mikel Arteta seeks psychological 14-point gap boost over Liverpool
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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has talked about the psychological boost if they can beat Liverpool in Sunday’s Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners have made a stellar start to their top-flight campaign, and they are currently top of the standings with a one-point lead over high-flying Manchester City.
Meanwhile, the north London giants are already 11 points ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s side, who have a game in hand and have the chance to pile more pressure on them.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arteta acknowledged that a 14-point lead over the Merseyside giants would be a huge psychological boost for the Gunners.
He said via The Guardian: “One hundred per cent. The moment you get momentum and you are on a good run, and you can leave an opponent as far [behind] as possible, psychologically also it is very important.”
“You’ve seen a lot of [turnarounds] in this league and we are making assumptions. To be 14 points clear of them we need to beat them and it will be a difficult thing to do. We are willing to try.”
Arteta’s side have definitely exceeded their early expectations. They have picked up crucial away wins against tricky opponents such as Brentford and Crystal Palace.
They certainly deserve their top spot in the league standings and whether they can sustain their slender lead at the top will be decided by how they fare against the elite.
Liverpool have been defensively out of sorts this campaign, but are still one of the best teams in the county and have dropped just three points in this fixture since 2018.
Arsenal are considered as slight favourites for this weekend’s encounter but rest assured, they will need to produce one of their best performances to outclass the Reds.
Whether they manage to do so remains to be seen. It would be a huge statement if they can end up on the winning side. It would show that they are genuine title contenders.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com