Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has encouraged the fans to give Arsenal the ‘proper Anfield experience’ when they lock horns in the Premier League on Saturday evening.
After Liverpool defeated West Ham 5-1 in the Carabao Cup quarter-final on Wednesday, Klopp said he was ‘not overly happy with the atmosphere’ during the game.
And speaking on Friday, he added: ‘I enjoy 99.7 per cent of each second in that stadium. If we can do better, then show us. I said we’d need Anfield on Saturday and that is true. We have to make sure we make it a proper home game and a proper Anfield experience. That is all I want.’
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta knows it will be lively and has compared playing Liverpool away to being ‘stuck in a washing machine’.
The Gunners can expect a febrile atmosphere after Klopp’s rallying cry to fans and Arsenal have not beaten Liverpool away in the league since September 2012.
Arteta said: ‘Anfield is different, like Old Trafford. It is an unbelievable place. There are a few in this country. You have to go to these stadiums and you have to prove as a team what you are capable of. Sometimes when you don’t feel at your best, you feel that they are on top of you, and you cannot get out of that washing machine.’
When asked how his players can avoid getting in the ‘washing machine’, he said: ‘(Follow) the game plan and what we discussed and put on our washing machine. That is very powerful. The emotional state is crucial when you play against big opponents away.’
Arsenal issued a statement on Friday rejecting any potential involvement in the European Super League, with Arteta saying it is important to ‘look after fans’.
Klopp, meanwhile, believes Arsenal are a better team than last season, when they narrowly failed to win the title. ‘We play a super-strong team who played exceptionally last season and are even better than last season,’ said Klopp.
‘They are difficult to play, a good mix between physicality, technique and organisation — they’re well coached and every year they make another step.’
Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold agreed, saying: ‘Arsenal have gone up a level this season. They’re consistent and winning in a controlled manner. It’s different to how we are winning a lot of games.
‘A couple of ours have been last-minute, or when we were down to 10 men. They are a young, exciting team who last year probably lacked experience. That’s quite similar to what we were like in that season when we were pipped to the title by Manchester City by one point. Those experiences teach you a lot.’
