Arsenal manager Unai Emery has played down the Gunners’ chances of winning against Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday night, despite the club’s good start to the season.
The London club head to Merseyside after recording two wins from their first two games for the first time in ten years, but Emery is expecting a much tougher challenge when they face Jurgen Klopp’s side this weekend:
“We have 36 matches to play. We’ve started with two victories and last season we started with two defeats. But after, we progressed well in the table. Our challenge is each match. We are happy we have six points but next week we are going to play against Liverpool, and it’s a big challenge.”
“Being in this position is better but the difficulties come in each match. We want to be competitive and consistent in our way, and at the moment we did that in the two matches. But we know we need everybody, big experience, big performances, to be competitive individually and improve in each match and in each training session. Let’s be positive and realistic – it’s going to be difficult. Let’s enjoy each moment.”
A lot of supporters believe the Spaniard is just managing expectations and wants his team to go in as underdogs:
mind games
— J£RUSHAN? (@jerushan_17) 19 August 2019
Unai with the mind games…
— Gotskills (@clivetitus1) 19 August 2019
Yesssss, let them think we’re scared of them.
Then when they’re not looking…….
Bang! pic.twitter.com/GNUHAyptwc— Gooner Gang (@footballfantas3) 19 August 2019
Good play of mind games Unai
— August in sight? (@Orume1231) 19 August 2019
It’s mind games guys don’t read into it ….
— Sam ringland (@Sam_Ringland_14) 19 August 2019
Smart from emery, he’s taking the pressure off the arsenal players and mounting more on Liverpool.
— Kasiwill ? (@KasingaWilson) 19 August 2019
Other fans are not that happy about Emery’s apparent defeatist attitude:
This manager has inferiority complex
— @POTISON (@OfwonoPot) 19 August 2019
Not good coming from the manager. My God, what type of mentality is this???
— Lanre Aboy Batola (@batola123) 19 August 2019
Don’t accept defeat even before we meet them.
— Frederick .O. OSHO (@Frederickoludip) 20 August 2019
He’s basically saying stay positive after we get slapped up
— Tayo (@tayo_thornton) 19 August 2019
His response is still very inferior! With the players he has now, he shouldn’t be scared of any team. Ozil must not start! We need players with guts and mental strength
— kola ibilola (@kolaibi07) 19 August 2019
There’s no doubting that it will be a tough match at Anfield, but Arsenal have the firepower to cause Liverpool huge problems, especially if Emery opts to give Nicolas Pepe his first start.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette are already in good form, while Dani Ceballos has also had a superb start to life at the Gunners. Fans should be optimistic heading into the game.
