Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted he is inspired by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp despite the pair's heated clash in last season's Anfield meeting. With the game finely balanced at 0-0 after 30 minutes had been played the two managers came to blow gesticulating angrily at one-another following a mid-air collision between Sadio Mane and Takehiro Tomiyasu.
No less than ten minutes after the incident though did the Gunners find themselves a goal behind with Mane, who was involved in the on-pitch scuffle, finding the opener. The visitors went on to concede three goals in the second half without finding the back of the net themselves, with Arteta dismissing that stoppage caused his Arsenal team to fall apart ahead of their meeting this weekend, insisting there is no bad blood.
"Yeah, but after that we had the best chance in the game and could have gone 1-0 up," Arteta revealed in his pre-Liverpool press conference on Friday. "One minute later they have a wide free kick and score. Who knows? I don’t know. That’s football. It happens in football and after that we hugged each other and moved on. The last time we were together nothing happened. I have full respect and admiration for what they’ve done. We’ve moved on."
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It is certainly fair to say that Arsenal and Arteta have moved on as they head into this weekend's clash with Liverpool at Anfield, 18 months on from their last league visit, at the top of the Premier League table. Pep Guardiola's Manchester City remain hot on their tails and could look to close the eight-point gap if they beat Southampton on Saturday and Arsenal continue their recent trend of disappointing results in Merseyside.
Klopp, and his heated argument with Arteta, dominated much of the Arsenal head coach's Friday press conference, but the Spaniard had only good things to say about his managerial weekend opponent.
Asked if he is inspired by Klopp, Arteta said: "For sure, coming from abroad, the way he did it, the way he installed that clear identity, values and the way he transmitted and everybody bought his ideas so early. He needed some time and then results came up in the best possible way. So yeah, for sure.
"They are a great team managed by a top manager and they create an incredible atmosphere that makes it very difficult for any opponent," Arteta added. "It is the same to come to the Emirates. It’s very, very difficult so we know that and the opportunity is there ahead of us in Sunday.
"I think at a club like this you have to earn the right. He absolutely earned that right with the way that he transformed the club, especially with the way he transformed the club and the results they’ve had and how much they won. You can sustain yourself at this level only if you produce the results that are necessary to continue."
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