Wenger – Liverpool Is Still A Special Game

Manager Arsene Wenger has said that Liverpool remains one of the biggest games of the season for him, and he’s obviously looking forward to another three points.

Given respective league positions at the moment, Wenger knows it’s a little different from the true title challenging battles we’ve had against them in the past, but he said it is still a special occasion for him and it’s still a special game and he knows it will be a massive three points if we can get them.

Speaking to the Official Site ahead of the game and being asked the question as whether the match carries the significance this time round as in previous years, Wenger explained.

‘Yes, of course. There’s a special atmosphere. I have a lot of respect for the crowd at Liverpool because they stand behind their team. I remember one day we were leading 5-1 at Liverpool and they were chanting ‘you’ll never walk alone’. It’s one of the few grounds in the world where you can see that. There’s a special combination of knowledge of the game at Liverpool and support for their team. I have huge respect for that.’

Wenger was obviously then asked about the other five one scoreline and our heavy defeat last February, and he admitted it did hurt and defeats like that stick with you and they motivate you to do better in the future.

‘Every defeat hurts. Every defeat is a scar in your heart forever. We also have very good memories of Liverpool. We won many games as well. Even last year we lost against them, the week later against the same team we won 2-0 at home in the FA Cup.’

As for the time of year and the way fixtures fall at this particular stage, Wenger went on to say that momentum and consistency in performance is key because it’s an important period and you have to be at your best to make the most of the quick run of fixtures because they can change the league table quite quickly as well and he’s confident that we can be strong enough to have a good Christmas run this season, and set ourselves up nicely for the second half of the campaign.