Frank Christian
Mikel Arteta considers Liverpool to be on par with Manchester City as Arsenal gets ready to face the Premier League leaders at the Emirates Stadium.
City is aiming for a record fifth consecutive league title, having narrowly defeated Arteta’s team in the previous two seasons.
Currently, they are the only unbeaten team after eight matches, yet they sit in second place behind Liverpool, who have secured seven wins out of eight games under the management of Arne Slot.
With three wins in the UEFA Champions League, Slot has made a strong start at Anfield, especially following Jurgen Klopp’s departure.
Having been part of City’s coaching team during their intense rivalry with Liverpool in 2018/19, Arteta acknowledges that the enduring high standards of both clubs position Liverpool as equal to his former team.
“Absolutely, they are one of the top teams of the last decade,” he stated in a press conference prior to the pivotal match on Sunday. “Their history in the Premier League is significant.”
“They competed against a team [City] that consistently broke records, demonstrating their relentlessness and winning attitude, which is quite commendable. They’ve maintained a strong identity, which is impressive in my view.”
If Arsenal loses, they would fall seven points behind Liverpool, but Arteta believes it’s too early in the season to focus on the title race.
“After our win against Aston Villa, people were saying the same thing – if you lose here, what’s next? We’ve just got to concentrate on one game at a time. We can’t get caught up in title talk in October.”
