Jurgen Klopp reveals one smart thing the Gunners have done to put Arsenal and Arteta in title race
Jurgen Klopp, manager of Liverpool, has praised Arsenal’s patience with Mikel Arteta despite the Gunners’ troubled first few seasons in charge. Prior to the 2022/23 title charge season, the Spaniard had been in charge for two and a half seasons, and the pressure on his position was evident on numerous occasions.
Despite leading Arsenal to FA Cup and Community Shield victories, some supporters demanded Arteta’s dismissal. In the final few months of 2021, when the Gunners won just one of ten Premier League games, including home losses to Wolves and Burnley and the North London Derby, the calls for his dismissal reached an alarming level.
Arsenal are currently eight points ahead of Manchester City in the Premier League standings and have been rewarded for sticking with Arteta.
Among their 23 league victories this season, victories against Tottenham, Chelsea, and Manchester United likely rank among the best. However, the 3-2 victory against Liverpool at Emirates Stadium, in which the Gunners twice overcame deficits, is arguably the most impressive.
Many viewed the match on October 9 as the first significant indication that Arteta had altered the mentality of the north London squad. Despite their heated exchange during last season’s match on Merseyside, Jurgen Klopp was full of praise for his managerial opponent.
“Mikel Arteta has been building for a few years now, the outcome is pretty impressive,” Klopp said in a press conference on Friday.
“I don’t know exactly what you can say about us at the moment, so that shows the situation. I know people ask for more time for managers and I think Mikel deserved every minute when it wasn’t go well because they are there now.”
The additions of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus last summer gave Arsenal a massive boost, and Jurgen Klopp believes that these moves, along with others made in previous windows, are the reason the Gunners are in first place.
“They made good transfers, pretty stable, brought in super important players but not too many,” the German coach added.
Jurgen Klopp reveals one smart thing the Gunners have done to put Arsenal and Arteta in title race
