Liverpool is Arsenal's Everest: victory at Anfield and the title are their loss

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta understands Anfield's strength better than most. Photo: Getty Images/Clive Brunskill

Arsenal's trip to Anfield is more than just a tactical, technical and physical test of their title title. Like no other stadium in the country, it offers deep psychological examination.

No one is more responsible for creating this aura than Arsenal itself, an Anfield that evokes both euphoria and despair.

A huge part of Anfield's mystique, of course, stems from that famous night in May 1989, when George Graham's side overcame the odds in spectacular fashion in a winner-take-all penalty shoot-out for the title. For a generation of Arsenal fans, winning at Anfield carries a symbolic meaning beyond three points.

Arsene Wenger never shied away from this, often citing Anfield as the away stadium he most admired.

Arsene Wenger never shied away from it, often citing Anfield as the away stadium he most admired.

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“This is the hottest stadium in Europe. This is the only place you don’t want to go to for the second leg [in the Champions League] because everything is special there,” he said.

The away win against Liverpool has become the standard by which any team with title or Champions League aspirations is judged. You don't have to win there to be champions, but if you're near the top and do it, you'll leave confident you won't play a tougher away game all season. If Arsenal win on Saturday night, it will be the biggest away result of Mikel Arteta's era, and he's not shy about saying it.

Mikel Arteta trains ahead of Arsenal's visit to Liverpool. The manager described Anfield as the most hostile stadium of all. Photo: Getty Images/Stuart McFarlane

Arteta has never hidden the uniqueness of the task. His approach to the Anfield games heightened their significance as he acknowledged that it was the ground of nightmares as well as dreams.

His comments last year mentioned Anfield as the only stadium at which he «frozen» as a player. , recalling the sad experience of defeat from Arsenal.

The inventive preparation for a match there two years ago, when he played «You'll Never Walk Alone» while his players trained — featured in an Amazon documentary — highlighted his concerns about his team being emotionally affected by the atmosphere in the stadium, where he plays. Appeared 14 times as a player or coach, winning only twice.

These observations were made before the last meeting between the sides in April, when Arsenal were challenging for the title and took a two-goal lead. What's happened? With Granit Xhaka involved in an altercation with Trent Alexander-Arnold near the Kop end, the mood at Anfield changed irrevocably and Arteta's side were lucky to escape with a 2-2 draw. The wheels came off the title bid soon after as Arteta's side's shortcomings were exposed at Anfield. It showed that they were good, but not good enough. The memory is still fresh.

These examples are ironic given Jurgen Klopp's demand for Liverpool fans to step up their game this weekend. I understand where Klopp is coming from: he wants the noise level to match Arteta's expectations, just like the Liverpool manager. Klopp certainly ensured this would happen with his comments after the West Ham game, although I'm not sure his tone was correct.

Jurgen Klopp congratulates Curtis Jones on his League Cup win over West Ham. The Liverpool manager then called on fans to give Arsenal a particularly hostile reception. Photo: Getty Images/Oli Scarff

You only have to look at Klopp's home record since he took over and compare it to what happened during lockdown to see the difference. supporters do.

Liverpool have lost six straight home games behind closed doors. As for the fans, they have lost once at Anfield since 2017. Klopp has used these weapons to his advantage better than any Liverpool manager in the last 33 years.

I can't help but feel like Klopp's timing of these remarks was deliberate. because Arsenal are next. He wanted to get into their heads what Saturday night would be like — this was already the perfect time for a special atmosphere. Has anyone mentioned mind games yet?

This strategy also shows that Klopp is more optimistic about Liverpool's title chances than he showed in the first half of the season.

Race for This year's title is more interesting because it's so flawed. Talk to Arsenal and Liverpool fans and they will understand that they are less concerned with what their team is than with what it is.

Can Arsenal win the title with their front three, or do they need more firepower? Can Liverpool win the title without an established, top-quality defensive midfielder?

If Arsenal had Alisson Becker, they would be almost guaranteed at least nine extra points to win the title.

If Liverpool had signed Declan Rice last summer, they would already be six points ahead of the rest.

Overall, Arsenal are a year ahead of Liverpool in their development, but the teams were closer than they could have been imagine Klopp playing catch-up at the start of this season.

The teams meet three times a season. of the next seven matches, with the rivalry playing out much like it did in the late 80s and early 90s, with Graham's side knocking Kenny Dalglish's side out of their place.

Where Liverpool still have an advantage is Klopp himself. Of the current top-four contenders, Arteta has the most to prove that he is the only manager yet to win a league title.

He has done a brilliant job since taking over from Unai Emery but that final step is always the hardest and he will be up against two of the best managers of all time and at Aston Villa a new team with a hungry manager with fewer expectations. there is nothing to lose from them. This is a dangerous combination.

Arteta has nothing more to learn about his team's skills. Over the past 18 months they have established themselves as one of the best teams in the country, and with the signing of Rice they look even better.

But they need a big scalp on the road. Arsenal's toughest away games this season have been at Stamford Bridge, St James's Park and Villa Park. Whatever the circumstances, returning one point is not enough. This must change. If they are one point from 12 by Saturday evening, there will be cause for concern for the upcoming away matches at the Etihad, Tottenham and Old Trafford.

They also need emotional control. There have been too many occasions this season where Arsenal victories have felt like a big deal, as if the title was a step closer when it was still so long away. It's not sustainable. Players will be exhausted come March if they approach every game thinking the title race is already over.

There is nothing decisive about this weekend. We'll get a clear picture of where both teams are and Manchester City will get a kick out of how desperately their rivals are trying to take advantage of their absence — they're confident that Liverpool and Arsenal can wear each other down within a matter of minutes. next six weeks before being defeated. c.

A win for Liverpool would cap a potentially defining week, providing the clearest evidence yet that Klopp's recovery is well ahead of schedule and could bring immediate reward. A win for Arsenal, however, will see them go into 2024 as favourites. to end a 20-year wait for a championship.

Neither coach will downplay the importance of the game, with both seemingly willing to deliver the same pregame message to ram through it. home that “This is Anfield.”