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."
