Jurgen Klopp heaped praise on Mikel Arteta, suggesting the progress under the Spaniard is visible at Arsenal and that he is looking forward to facing them.
Liverpool have been hunting Manchester City all season and could look to get closer to the champions when they play their game in hand over Pep Guardiola’s men.
Liverpool are set to face Arsenal at the Emirates, with Jurgen Klopp well aware that three points are a must. The Premier League title race is becoming a gift that keeps on giving after yet another twist in the tale, as Manchester City dropped points against Crystal Palace on Monday night.
A win over the Gunners would bring Liverpool to within one point of City. The clash at the Etihad between the top two next month could then become the potential title decider.
However, Arsenal have shown everyone they are no longer pushovers. Mikel Arteta’s men recorded their fifth straight victory in the Premier League this past weekend, beating Leicester City, which took them to fourth in the standings. They also have three games in hand over fifth-placed Manchester United, who remain their closest rivals in the top four race.
The clash at the Emirates is already billed as one of the most important games of this Premier League season so far. It certainly has all the ingredients to be so. This will be an interesting clash, as the Gunners may want to show they are not just another flat track bully and can compete with the biggest teams.
During his pre-game press conference, Klopp heaped praise on his Arsenal counterpart, Arteta, claiming the progress made by the north Londoners under the Spainard is there to see. The German also insisted he now looks forward to this tough clash at the Emirates.
Klopp said, “I’m really looking forward to it. Mikel is doing an incredible job there, you can really see week by week, month by month the development they are doing together. It’s really impressive. We have to be ready, but I sense we will be ready.
“Each Premier League game is tough, but a few are especially tough. One of them we play tomorrow night and sitting here, I say ‘we win 10-games’ – it doesn’t sound very likely but as long as it is possible we will give it a proper try, I can tell you.”
Arteta has indeed done some fine work at the Emirates, especially after a poor start to the season which led to speculation over his future. It will be interesting to see how his side fares against one of the most in-form teams in the country this midweek.
