By Rob Kelly
THE QUOTE
“Our desire is just to continue to win. We have built a level of confidence and are conscious that if we do certain things well, then we can win games.” - Arsene Wenger
THE SET-UP
There was a moment during Arsene Wenger’s pre-match press conference on Thursday that caused the room to halt in momentary confusion.
In the midst of a barrage of questions, the manager was asked to verify that Per Mertesacker would be giving a team talk on Saturday, live on television. It was seemingly out of nowhere and caught the Frenchman unawares. And with good reason: the reporter had unwittingly fallen for an April Fools’ joke.
As those present chuckled, Wenger’s face broke into a broad smile. This may be the most serious stage in the football season, but Arsenal’s manager remains relaxed. His side are the Premier League’s form horse, bolting from the field to move ever closer to an 18th successive qualification for the Champions League after winning 14 of their last 16 games.
With the finish line in sight, Liverpool represent a significant hurdle to overcome. Not only are Brendan Rodgers’ side breathing down the necks of the top four, they are also the division’s third most in-form team. They will offer a formidable test, but Wenger insists the Gunners know exactly what they need to do.
“Our desire is just to continue to win,” he told Arsenal Player. “We have built a level of confidence and are conscious that if we do certain things well, then we can win games. It’s a big match because Liverpool are a good side and we have an opportunity to win another big game. Recently we have shown we can do that, so that’s another target.”
ARSENAL
The good news just keeps on coming for Arsenal. Having won six out of six in all competitions in March, Arsene Wenger and Olivier Giroud have been named by the Premier League as its Manager and Player of the Month respectively.
It has been quite a response from the latter after that miserable night against Monaco in London. Mikel Arteta says the striker has “revealed himself” with the way he has fought back in such fine style, and that continued in midweek with a goal in France’s friendly victory against Denmark.
"There’s no coincidence - when a player is in good form and they go away with the national team, they score"
Elsewhere in Europe, Danny Welbeck was on target for England, Aaron Ramsey scored for Wales and Hector Bellerin made his Spain Under-21 debut. It speaks volumes about an Arsenal squad positively bursting with positive energy as we enter the final straight.
“It’s good for their level of confidence because they come back with a positive experience,” Wenger said. “There’s no coincidence - when a player is in good form and they go away with the national team, they score. That strengthens the confidence so that’s very good and hopefully we can benefit from that.”
There was further cause for optimism closer to home, too, as Arteta, Jack Wilshere, Mathieu Debuchy and Abou Diaby stepped up their rehabilitations by playing in a friendly against Brentford. It only strengthens a squad that now only awaits Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s return to full fitness.
“It was quite surprising, the quality and the fitness of their performances,” the manager said. “They were very good so it’s very positive for me. It’s a first game after a long time out for many of them so they are not completely there yet, but they are available again for selection and in full training.
“I’m happy that everybody’s back because it’s a nightmare for a player not to be available for selection. We have shown with our results in recent weeks that we can cope with it and that means we have a very good cohesion in our squad. Everybody can come in for somebody without suffering too much in our results. Having everybody back at such an important moment of the season is very positive.”
THE OPPOSITION
Liverpool travel to north London with a point to prove. Having been beaten last time out by Manchester United, the pre-match narrative suggests that they need a win or their hopes of a top-four place will be dead in the water.
"We expect a dynamic game with a lot of pace and very quick transitions from defence to attack"
The reality is somewhat different, especially in a league in which surprise results have become de rigueur. Wenger insists that Liverpool’s threat is very much alive and well, and the idea of dealing them a knockout blow in the Champions League fight is not in his thinking.
“We are in a position where you do not want to make mathematics,” he said. “You want to focus on the performance. What you know is that to beat Liverpool you need a top-level performance and that’s why at the moment I’m more focused on that.
“Usually it’s a very pacy game with two teams who are very quick to go forward, so we expect a dynamic game with a lot of pace and very quick transitions from defence to attack. Liverpool’s strength with Coutinho, Sterling and Sturridge lies there, to be very quick on the counter-attack.”
The visitors will have to do without Steven Gerrard after his red card against Manchester United, while Martin Skrtel is also suspended after another incident in the same match.
SUMMING UP
In a fixture rich in history and containing two evenly-matched, multi-talented sides, the smallest of details can make the biggest of impacts.
Wenger admits that Saturday’s clash is “massive” for both clubs, but the stats favour the hosts. Of their past 18 home games against Liverpool, the Gunners have won 10 and drawn seven, with just the solitary defeat.
When you throw into the mix their recent record of eight successive Premier League victories at the Emirates - their best run in close to a decade - the scales start to tip in Arsenal's favour.
"Both sides give absolutely everything, but for us it’s a great opportunity that we want to take"
The visitors have only kept one clean sheet in their past 18 matches against Arsenal. But they come into this fixture having equalled a club record six consecutive shut-outs on the road, some nine hours and 19 minutes without concession.
Perhaps the most intriguing statistic is this: of the past 12 matches between the clubs, there have been eight goals scored in the 90th minute, including last time out at Anfield in December.
“The last [Martin Skrtel] goal did hurt us, because we were 11 against 10 and we got caught on a corner,” recalled Wenger. “But that’s part of football, because most of the time teams throw everything forward in the final minutes when they have to make up a goal.
“[The late-goal statistic] shows you that it’s an uncertain game most of the time. Both sides give absolutely everything, but for us it’s a great opportunity that we want to take.
“We are on a strong run and we just want to continue that. Liverpool just lost at home to Manchester United and hopefully we can produce the performance that we want to produce.”
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