We head to Anfield on Sunday to face Arne Slot’s newly-crowned Premier League champions, but Mikel Arteta is adamant that we’re still focusing on the current campaign rather than sending a message heading into 2024/25.
With our dreams of winning the Champions League over following heartbreak in Paris, we now have just three matches left this campaign, starting with one against the only team sitting ahead of us in the league table right now.
But with Manchester City, Newcastle United and Chelsea breathing down our necks and looking to secure second spot themselves, Mikel wants a positive result to help secure a third-straight runners-up finish, rather than strike any psychological blow on the Reds heading into the defence of their championship next term.
When asked about the motivation on the weekend, the boss said: “It's about this season, it's about the amount of points that are still available to win at the end, and finishing in the position that we want and we have to do that.
“That's how we felt in the manner that we went out [of Europe]. We’re very, very proud, but make sure that we finish the season in the same way. You cannot win the Premier League, that's clear, but the last 16 days that we have with three games to go, make sure that we make ourselves proud at least to compete and end in the manner that we deserve.
“But this is what we are, when we get so close to winning big trophies and you don't achieve it, it has to be part of that journey. We have to be able now to go immediately into a different competition and perform at the highest level, that's it.”
Much has been made about ourselves, Chelsea and the rest of Liverpool’s opponents paying respect to their achievement by forming a guard of honour as they take to the field for the final matches of the campaign, but Mikel feels as though it is the sporting thing to do.
However, he hopes that his players remember the feeling and use it to push them to be on the other side of that respectful gesture in 12 months’ time, with next season already shaping up to be an intriguing one with five or six teams eyeing up a title challenge.
On the guard of honour, he added: “They deserve that. They've been the best team, they've been the most consistent, and what Arne and the coaching staff have done has been fascinating, it's been really good. They fully deserve it, and that's the sport. If somebody's better, you have to approve and accept and try to reach that level.
“Something has to drive you, motivate you, and pain for this is a good one to use sometimes when you really want to do something. But it's the right thing to do, but use it as a motivation for next season.
“They will hold that trophy and somebody has to come and take it out of their hands. I'm sure that we're going to have a lot of contenders and very well-prepared contenders to raise their level again and make it very difficult.”
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